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the process of the present invention comprises oxidizing an acidic solution , typically sulphuric acid copper electrolyte solution , in an autoclave under oxygen overpressure at a temperature varying from 130 ° to 205 ° c ., to induce the precipitation of antimony and bismuth . the minimum oxygen partial pressure has been found to be 1 . 2 bar . for practical and obvious economic purposes , the oxygen partial pressure needs not to exceed 6 bars . as an alternative to oxygen , air may also be injected . antimony and bismuth are subsequently removed by simple filtration , and the oxidized electrolyte is then reduced to bring the fe 3 + to fe 2 + oxidation state , and returned to the commercial electrorefining cells without the previously mentioned detrimental effects of reduced current efficiency and corrosion of the copper cathode . the reduction is preferably done by passing the solution through a bed of copper particles , but any other conventional means of reduction can be applied , for example , treatment in an electrorefining cell . the process of the present invention has therefore many advantages over those currently known , in particular : a ) the purification is selective to antimony and bismuth and no other element needs to be prereduced or is precipitated concurrently , which greatly reduces the weight of solids to be collected and / or treated ; b ) an adsorption agent such as a resin , is not required , and neither is an organic solvent nor an inorganic compound ; c ) there are no solution to strip and no liquid effluent to treat , thereby minimizing the manipulations of the electrolyte solution ; d ) tbe operating temperatures of the autoclave are low enough so that plant steam can be used for heating the electrolyte ; e ) the electrolyte is returned to the cell at the same oxidation state , thus preventing reduced current efficiency and copper cathode corrosion caused by fe 3 + ions ; and f ) the process can be run continuously , thus helping automation and minimizing equipment size . the present invention will now be illustrated by examples which are provided for illustrating preferred embodiment of the invention , and should not be construed as limited its scope . a commercial copper electrolyte is treated in an autoclave at various temperatures and oxygen pressures to determine the antimony and bismuth precipitation kinetics under different conditions . the composition of the electrolyte is as follows : 45 g / l copper ; 165 g / l free sulphuric acid ; 18 g / l nickel ; 0 . 40 g / l iron ; 3 . 5 g / l arsenic ; 0 . 15 - 0 . 18 g / l bismuth and 0 . 42 - 0 . 50 g / l antimony . comparative tests have been performed on synthetic copper electrolyte wherein the only impurities present are antimony and / or bismuth . the results of the tests are provided hereinbelow . table 1 shows that the rise in the antimony and bismuth precipitation rates with the temperature for the commercial copper electrolyte solution . table 1______________________________________precipitation rate of sb and bi in function of the temperature ( oxygen pressure between 1 - 6 bars ) sb precipitation bi precipitation rate at 1 hr rate at 1 hrt (° c .) ( mg / l / hr ) ( mg / l / hr ) ______________________________________104 18 7132 80 22160 170 98204 330 144______________________________________ assuming that the concentration of antimony and bismuth in the solution is respectively 0 . 47 and 0 . 17 g / l , about 70 % of the antimony and 85 % of the bismuth is precipitated in one hour at a temperature of 204 ° c . a minimum oxygen overpressure of around 1 . 2 bars is sufficient to carry out the process of the present invention , as illustrated by table 2 below . little increase is noticed at higher oxygen pressure . table 2______________________________________precipitation rate of antimony and bismuth in functionof the pressure of oxygen ( temperature = 132 ° c .) sb precipitation bi precipitation rate at 3 hr rate at 3 hrso . sub . 2 pressure ( bars ) ( mg / l / hr ) ( mg / l / hr ) ______________________________________0 . 4 22 101 . 2 58 245 . 4 50 3015 . 5 59 29______________________________________ it should be pointed out that in addition to oxygen , good results have been obtained with air . however , oxygen is most preferred because of the major presence of nitrogen in air , an increased total operating pressure is necessary (≧ than 4 . 8 bars ). a test is performed with no bleed to determine whether oxygen sparging is necessary . comparing the test with the results of test 2 , which had a bleed , it is found that there is very little improvement with oxygen sparging . the results are shown in table 3 . table 3______________________________________precipitation rate of antimony and bismuth infunction of oxygen sparging ( temperature = 132 ° c . ; oxygen pressure = 1 . 2 bar ) sb precipitation bi precipitation rate at 3 hr rate at 1 hro . sub . 2 bleed ( mg / l / hr ) ( mg / l / hr ) ______________________________________no 43 18yes 58 24______________________________________ a mild agitation of 0 . 5 hp / 1000 usg has proven to give optimal results . it should be noted that acceptable precipitation rates of antimony and bismuth are also obtained with no agitation , as illustrated in table 4 . table 4______________________________________precipitation rate of antimony and bismuth infunction of the agitation ( temperature = 132 ° c . ; oxygen pressure = 1 . 2 bar ) sb precipitation bi precipitation rate at 3 hr rate at 1 hrbp / 1000 usg ( mg / l / hr ) ( mg / l / hr ) ______________________________________0 36 190 . 5 58 2415 51 25______________________________________ the final parameter investigated is the composition of the electrolyte . it can be assumed that the process has two components , namely the actual oxidation of the antimony and bismuth and their precipitation due to the lower solubility of the higher oxidation states . this solubility can be effected by variations in the composition of the electrolyte . two series of three tests ( i . e ., at two different temperatures ) are done where the only impurities present are antimony and / or bismuth ( synthetic electrolytes ). the results are provided in tables 5 and 6 . table 5______________________________________precipitation of antimony and bismuth in synthetic solutionstemperature = 132 ° c . ; oxygen pressure = 1 . 2 bar ; no bleed sb precipitation bi precipitation rate at 3 hr rate at 3 hrelectrolyte composition ( mg / l / hr ) ( mg / l / hr ) ______________________________________45 g / l cu ; 165 g / l h . sub . 2 so . sub . 4 ; -- 70 . 18 g / l bi45 g / l cu ; 165 g / l h . sub . 2 so . sub . 4 ; 29 -- 0 . 40 g / l sb45 g / l cu ; 165 g / l h . sub . 2 so . sub . 4 ; 37 160 . 18 g / l bi ; 0 . 43 g / l sb______________________________________ table 6______________________________________precipitation of antimony and bismuth in synthetic solutionstemperature = 160 ° c . ; oxygen pressure = 1 . 4 bar sb precipitation bi precipitation rate at 4 hr rate at 4 hrelectrolyte composition ( mg / l / hr ) ( mg / l / hr ) ______________________________________45 g / l cu ; 165 g / l h . sub . 2 so . sub . 4 ; -- 10 . 20 g / l bi45 g / l cu ; 165 g / l h . sub . 2 so . sub . 4 ; 46 -- 0 . 46 g / l sb45 g / l cu ; 165 g / l h . sub . 2 so . sub . 4 ; 73 350 . 19 g / l bi ; 0 . 44 g / l sb______________________________________ it was found that the precipitation rates were lower for synthetic solutions when antimony or bismuth are present separately . when both elements are present , the rates increase to values comparable to those with the commercial copper electrolyte . therefore , it is advantageous to have both antimony and bismuth in the solution to obtain more effective precipitation . while the invention has been described in connection with specific embodiments thereof , it will be understood that it is capable of further modifications and this application is intended to cover any variations , uses or adaptations of the invention following , in general , the principles of the invention and including such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice within the art to which the invention pertains , and as may be applied to the essential features hereinbefore set forth , and as follows in the scope of the appended claims .
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the present invention is directed to a method to improve mu - mimo system performance with an sinr offset and user pooling techniques for both the feedback mode selection and user pairing in the scheduler that enables dynamic switching between su and mu mimo transmissions . referring now to fig1 , there is shown a diagram of the sinr offset for mu - mimo transmission when only su csi reports are available , in accordance with the invention . it is assumed that the user pairing is done . but note that the above processes within fig1 can also be implemented when the scheduler performs the user pairing / selection for mu - mimo . initially su csi reports including preferred matrix index ( pmi ) for precoding , channel quality index ( cqi ) and rank index ( ri ) are obtained at a base station from the user terminals through the feedback channel 101 . the sinr scaling / approximation to compute the sinr when the exact precoders for co - scheduled streams are decided or evaluated during the scheduling including mu - mimo user pairing and resource allocation 102 . if the columns of the overall precoding matrix are not orthogonal , the zero - forcing beamforming is applied 103 . rate matching and mcs assignment occur at 104 . an sinr offset ζ δ is applied to the su sinr ( cqi ) either before or after the sinr scaling approximation , or both before or after the sinr scaling possibly with different offset values 105 . a controller controls / adjusts the sinr offset 106 . it can be the unit of the scheduler or combined with another control unit , e . g ., the controller for the outer loop link adaption ( olla ). referring now to fig2 , there is shown a diagram of the sinr offset for su - mimo transmission when only mu csi reports are available , in accordance with the invention . initially , the mu csi reports including preferred matrix index ( pmi ) for precoding , channel quality index ( cqi ) and rank index ( ri ) are obtained at base station from the user terminals through the feedback channel 201 . if mu - mimo is scheduled , the rate matching is based on the mu reports directly 202 . the zf beamforming and sinr scaling in fig1 can also be implemented here before rate matching 202 . if su - mimo is scheduled , an sinr offset ζ δ is applied to the mu sinr ( cqi ) before the rate matching 203 . a controller controls / adjusts the value of the sinr offset 204 . it can be the unit of the scheduler or combined with another control unit , e . g ., the controller for the outer loop link adaption ( olla ). referring to fig3 , there is shown a diagram for sinr approximation , in accordance with the invention . for channel approximation 301 , based on the quantized channel feedback , we introduce some of the uncertainty . at the base station , the channel seen by user - j can be approximated as h j † =( ĝ j + q j r j ) d j 1 / 2 where h j is the downlink channel matrix seen by user - j , where † denotes matrix hermitian , q j is an m ×( m −{ circumflex over ( r )} j ) semi - unitary matrix whose columns are a basis for the orthogonal complement to the range of ĝ j ( the reported precoder from user j ) where m is the number of transmit antennas at the base station and { circumflex over ( r )} j is the feedback rank ( ri ) from user j , r j is an m −{ circumflex over ( r )} j ×{ circumflex over ( r )} j matrix which satisfies the frobenius - norm constraint ∥ r j ∥ f 2 ≦ ε 2 where ε can be determined based on the size of the quantization codebook and the channel statistics , { circumflex over ( d )} j = ξ j diag { γ 1 , j , . . . , γ { circumflex over ( r )} j , j } and γ i , j are the sinr feedback for the ith stream of user j . here for mu reports , respectively , where ρ is the total average power of all co - scheduled streams assumed by the user j in its sinr computations and s is the total number of co - scheduled streams or total rank then the signal received model is built with an approximated channel 302 in one of two ways : a ) the same signal model expression as the original mu - mimo with channel matrix replaced by the approximation channel or b ) a simplified model in which the introduced channel uncertainty affects only the interfering streams . for example , the channel output seen by the user - 1 can be modeled as y 1 ={ circumflex over ( d )} 1 1 / 2 ĝ 1 † u 1 s 1 +{ circumflex over ( d )} 1 1 / 2 ( ĝ 1 † + r 1 † q 1 † ) u 2 s 2 + η 1 , where u j , j = 1 , 2 , is the transmit precoding vector for user j and s j , j = 1 , 2 , is the modulated data symbol vector for user j . η j is the noise vector seen at user j . based on the signal model , we compute the sinr for a certain receiver , e . g ., mmse receiver or maximum ratio combining ( mrc ) receiver 303 . then for the sinr approximation 304 : given a constraint on the uncertainty in the channel model ∥ r j ∥ f 2 ≦ ε 2 we find the conservative sinr approximation and use it as the estimated sinr for rate matching and mcs assignment . we assume 2 - user pairing and one stream per user . a ) for original mimo signal model with approximated channel , the worst sinr for the mmse receiver can be found from the following optimization : b ) for the simplified model , the worst sinr for the mmse receiver can be found from the following optimization : c ) for the simplified model , the worst sinr for the mrc receiver can be found by for this case , we can extend it to the general case with more than 2 users and multiple streams per user . assume that the precoding matrix u k is employed for user k , k = 1 , . . . q , where q is the total number of co - scheduled users . denoting u i , k as the ith column of the precoding matrix u k and ū i , k as the matrix obtained from u k with the removal of the ith column , the minimized sinr is then given by where λ max ( q 1 † { hacek over ( u )} 1 ) denotes the maximal eigen value of { hacek over ( u )} 1 † q 1 q 1 † { hacek over ( u )} 1 and { hacek over ( u )} 1 [ u 2 , . . . , u q ], i . e ., the composite mu precoding for all the co - scheduled users except user - 1 a simpler version of sinr approximation : sinr scaling ; in this case , we only model the channel covariance s j = h j † h j by s j ≈ j ĝ j { circumflex over ( d )} j ĝ j † based on precoder and sinr feedbacks . so the approximated sinr is then the error bound ε can be adjusted based on the channel statistics to obtain better performance . the above approximate sinr of the ith layer of the jth user , can be viewed as a scaled version of sinr of the ith layer of the jth user , contained in the user j &# 39 ; s su csi report . the scaling factor is a function of the csi report from user j , as well as those from the other co - scheduled users . reference is now made to fig4 which illustrates the process of user pooling for selecting / grouping users for different channel feedback . based on some feedback channel knowledge 401 , e . g ., the long term average snr , the base station pools user into two or more groups 402 , one group of users to send back the quantized instant channel information assuming the su - mimo will be scheduled and some other users who should send back the quantized instant channel information assuming the mu - mimo will be scheduled . then the base station signals to all the active users based on the pooling results 403 and the users follow the base station instructions and send back the reports that base station intends to see . this process can be done in a semi - static manner . turning now to fig5 and its diagram of user pairing and scheduling , in accordance with the invention , the user pooling can be implemented in the scheduler at the base station . based on various channel feedbacks ( either long - term or short term , or both , su , mu reports , or both ) 501 , and based on the certain metrics , the user pooling 502 is performed to select user for mu - mimo pairing . then from the pooling results , some users are considered for user pairing for mu - mimo transmission and others are only considered for su - mimo 503 . please note that user pooling can be dynamically changed for different subbands . various pooling metrics are defined in the provisional application . from the foregoing it can be appreciated that the inventive sinr offset , sinr scaling approximation , and user pooling method is efficient and improves the throughput of the mimo systems in which the dynamic switching between mu - mimo and su - mimo transmissions is supported . the inventive sinr offset can be employed in conjunction with the outer loop link adaptation . we consider a narrowband mu - mimo signal model at a user terminal of interest in the aftermath of scheduling . assume that the base station has m transmit antennas and each serviced user is equipped with n receive antennas . the received discrete signal vector at the jth user is given by where h j εc n × m is the channel matrix for the jth user and η j ˜ cn ( 0 , i ) is the additive noise . the signal vector x transmitted by the base station can be expanded as where u is the set of co - scheduled users , v k is the m × r k precoding matrix with unit - norm columns and rank r k , and s k is the r k × 1 symbol vector corresponding to user kεu . further , let s = σ kεu r k be the total number of co - scheduled streams or total rank . the total power for all streams is η . if we assume equal power allocation , the power per stream is then given by in lte - a , the dynamic switching between su - mimo and mu - mimo transmission modes is supported . for su - mimo transmissions , only the data symbols to one user are transmitted through one of orthogonal resources in either time and / or frequency domain . thus the transmitted signal vector x is simply the precoded qam symbol vector to one user , i . e ., x = v j s j . the received signal at the jth user terminal is then given by we first consider the channel report which assumes the su - mimo transmission to be scheduled , i . e ., su csi report . from the signal model in ( 3 ), given a precoding matrix g , the expected rate that can be achieved with the optimal maximum likelihood ( ml ) decoder is given by where |•| denotes the matrix determinant and † denotes the matrix hermitian . here we drop the user index j for notation simplicity . consequently , the precoder and rank are selected by maximizing the above expected rate , given by where c r denotes the set of precoding matrices of rank r and r max is the maximum rank . usually r max = min ( n , m ) unless the rank restriction is applied in the system . denote g =[ g 1 , . . . , g r ]. when the user terminal employs a linear mmse receiver , the precoder and the rank are then chosen by then the csi reports including rank index ( ri ) { circumflex over ( r )}, the pmi of the precoder ĝ { circumflex over ( r )} , and the quantized { sinrsu i , { circumflex over ( r )} su - mmse ( ĝ { circumflex over ( r )} )} = 1 { circumflex over ( r )} as cqis for { circumflex over ( r )} layers are sent back to the base station through the feedback channel . as will be shown below , the sinr computed by ( 7 ) assuming the su - mimo transmission has a large discrepancy with the actual sinr that the user experiences after mu - mimo transmission is scheduled . the sinr mismatch affects the performance of rate matching such that the assigned modulation and coding scheme ( mcs ) will be either higher or lower than what the channel can support . although a small sinr mismatch always exists in the cellular system due to quantized report or outdated feedback , a severe mismatch will causes a large throughput degradation . to overcome this , a new approach for pmi selection and sinr computation at the user terminal is developed which assumes the mu - mimo transmission to be scheduled when selecting pmi and computing sinrs . when a user determines its feedback , the user has access only to an estimate of ph . the observations in ( 1 ) that include the precoding matrices for other users can be received only after the scheduling ( for the current frame ) has been done by the base station . the scheduling in turn is based on the feedback reports that are received from all active users . thus , this is a chicken - and - egg problem which results in a sinr mismatch . to alleviate this problem , we assume that an estimate of s is conveyed by the base station to each active user . in practice , the base station can convey an estimate of s to a user in a semi - static manner and such an estimate can be either user - specific or a fixed value for all users . the user then selects pmis and compute sinrs based on its estimates of ηh and s using the rules described as follows . we assume that the user reports one pmi along with one or more cqis per sub - band ( i . e ., a contiguous time - frequency resource ). the pmi identifies a precoder of rank r , where the cqis are quantized estimates of sinrs . here we also assume that only slow rank adaptation is allowed in mu - mimo , i . e ., the user selects precoding matrices of a common rank for several consecutive frames and the base station can possibly inform the user about a suitable rank r in a semi - static manner . next , in order to determine a suitable semi - unitary matrix ĝ from a set or codebook of rank - r semi - unitary matrices , c r , along with r sinrs , the user of interest can use the rules which will be described next . the key idea of these rules for mu - mimo based csi report is to use an expected covariance matrix of all interfering signals which is computed by assuming that the co - scheduled interfering streams will be transmitted along vectors isotropically distributed in the orthogonal complement of the precoding vector or matrix being examined . without loss of generality , we assume that the user of interest is the first user , i . e ., k = 1 . suppose that the user considers reporting any precoder gεc m × r to the base station , i . e ., upon doing so , the transmit precoder employed by the base station to serve it will be v 1 = g . the user assumes that the transmit precoders employed at the base station for the co - scheduled users will lie in the null - space of v 1 † , i . e ., v 1 † v k = 0 , ∀ k ≠ 1 . since the estimate of total number of streams s will be delivered to the user , the user then assumes that there will be s − r such co - scheduled streams for other users in total . denote σ as the covariance of the noise plus the interference from co - scheduled streams , i . e ., when the user employs a linear mmse receiver , a pmi is selected after determining r sinrs for each matrix in c r . we now turn to lower bound approximation , where we assume { tilde over ( η )} h ( i − gg † ) h † being the expected covariance matrix of the interfering streams from other co - scheduled users , where is the power per layer of the interfering streams . the pmi selection rule which maximizes a lower bound on the expected rate obtained using the linear mmse receiver is given by in above rules for pmi selection and sinr computation , we assume equal power allocation , i . e ., the total power is equally split on equal data stream in mu - mimo transmissions . the power per stream is then one alternate way is to consider the nonuniform power allocation . when computing its sinr and selecting the pmi for mu - mimo type of csi report , the user assumes that a faction α of the total power η will be equally allocated for its desired r streams by the base station and the remaining portion will be equally shared among the co - scheduled streams for other users . with nonuniform power allocation , the expressions in ( 9 )-( 10 ) remain unchanged for pmi selection and sinr computations . the only changes are made on the power per layer . thus , for the nonuniform power allocation , the power per layer η ′ for desired date streams of the user who computes feedback is given the power per layer of the interfering streams from co - scheduled users is then based on the feedback from all active users , the base station allocates a user or a set of users to transmit in a certain resource block . thus the scheduler at the base station needs to determine the user set u for mu - mimo transmissions . although the system throughput can be maximized by always serving the user with the best expected rate or a group of users with the best sum - rate , the weighted rate or sum - rate is usually considered in the practical system to ensure a certain fairness among all users in the serving cell . one popular approach is pf scheduling . denote r k ( t ) and t k ( t ) as the instantaneous data rate and the average throughput of the kth user at the tth time slot , respectively . the pf scheduler selects users which maximizes the sum of the logarithms of the average throughputs , i . e ., max σ k log t k ( t + 1 ) for the transmission in the next time slot . for the su transmission case , only one user will be scheduled for transmission in one orthogonal resource block , i . e ., u ={ k *}. following the pf scheduling rule , the user k * is selected by here we can see that the weight is the inverse of the user &# 39 ; s average throughput . then the average throughput is updated by where t c is the window size for calculating average throughput . for mu transmissions , under proportional fairness , i . e ., maximizing the sum of the log - arithms of the average throughputs , the set of co - scheduled users is determined by [ 16 ] where r k | u denotes the rate of user kεu and u is the candidate of the scheduled user set . if a user has a transmission rank r & gt ; 1 , the rate of this user r k ( t ) is the sum rate of all r data streams . if the rate of user k does not depend on the rate of other user jεu , j ≠ k , on the co - scheduled streams , the set of users that maximizes σ k log t k ( t + 1 ) among all possible choices of user selections can be simplified as the average throughput of user k for mu transmissions is then updated by in this paper , we use the rule in ( 16 ) as the pf scheduling criterion for sake of the simplicity . for su or mu mimo transmissions , the instantaneous rate r k ( t ) can be obtained by where sinr i , k ( t ) can be obtained directly from the sinr feedback which is obtained from ( 7 ) in su csi report or from ( 10 ) in mu csi report . however , using the sinr feedback to obtain the instantaneous rate for rate matching in mu - mimo is not accurate because when computing sinrs , the user does not know in advance the exact precoders for the co - scheduled users . the user either neglects the interference from the co - scheduled streams by sending the sinr value based on su - mimo transmissions as in su report or computes and reports sinrs based on an estimate of covariance from the interfering streams as in mu report . however , when scheduling the users , the base station knows the exact precoding matrices that will be used for all co - scheduled users . the base station is then able to recalculate the sinrs for co - scheduled streams based on the choice of user set and associated transmit precoders . unfortunately , the base station does not have full knowledge of the channel state information from all users . we provide some methods for computing the estimate of sinrs with the exact precoders . we first introduce a simple sinr approximation , i . e ., sinr scaling , using the approximate channel covariance based on csi report . then we provide the sinr approximations using the approximate mimo channel for different receivers . suppose the base station considers co - scheduling q users in one resource block , i . e ., | u |= q . denote ĝ j as the reported precoder from user j with the rank { circumflex over ( r )} j , j = 1 , . . . , q . denote h j as the channel seen by user j . let v j be the transmit precoder that the base station intends to employ for the user j , where v j =[ v 1 , j , . . . , v r j , 3 ] with unit norm for each column , i . e ., ∥ v i , j ∥ 2 = 1 . define a 29 { square root over ({ circumflex over ( η )}[ v 1 , . . . , v q ] as the overall precoding matrix for mu - mimo transmissions , where { circumflex over ( η )} is the power per layer , i . e ., { circumflex over ( η )}= η / ŝ with ŝ = σ j = 1 q r j being the number of columns in a , i . e ., the total number of streams that base station intends to co - schedule . if the channel information { h j } j = 1 q is perfectly known at the base station , assuming linear mmse receiver , the exact sinr for the ith stream of the jth user can be computed by with matrix inverse lemma , we can rewrite α i , j as α i , j =[( i + a † s j a ) − 1 a † s j a ] σ m = 1 j - 1 r m + i , σ m = 1 j - 1 r m + i , i = 1 , . . . , r j , ( 21 ) where s j = h j † h j and [•] m , n denotes the entry of a matrix at the mth row and the nth column . since the perfect channel information h j is not available at the base station , to compute the true sinr in ( 19 ) based on the csi feedback , we apply the following approximation where { circumflex over ( d )} j = ξ j diag { γ 1 , j , . . . , γ { circumflex over ( r )} j , j } and γ i , j are the sinr feedback for the ith stream of user j . here in this section we provide a method for computing an estimate of the sinr ( per - rb ) for each co - scheduled stream in each choice of user set with the channel approximation based on quantized csi report available at the base station . while the method can be readily extended to allow for co - scheduling of an arbitrary number of streams using arbitrary transmit precoders , here we restrict our attention to all possible su - mimo configurations along with the practically possible mu - mimo configuration , which is co - scheduling a user - pair with one stream per - user . note that the base - station has access to { ĝ j , { circumflex over ( d )} j } but does not know the actual channel seen by user - j . due to the finite resolution of the quantization codebook , the component of the user - channel matrix that lies in the orthogonal complement of the range of the reported precoder matrix ĝ j is unknown to the base - station . further , the user - reported quantized sinrs are computed under the assumption that the base - station will employ the precoder matrix ĝ j and together they encode the effective channel gains that will be seen by the user if { circumflex over ( r )} j streams are transmitted along the columns of ĝ j . with these observations in mind , we propose to approximate the channel seen by user - j as h j † =( ĝ j + q j r j ) { circumflex over ( d )} j 1 / 2 ( 23 ) where q j is an m × m −{ circumflex over ( r )} j semi - unitary matrix whose columns are a basis for the orthogonal complement to the range of ĝ j . r j is an m −{ circumflex over ( r )} j ×{ circumflex over ( r )} j matrix which satisfies the frobenius - norm constraint ∥ r j ∥ f 2 ≦ ε 2 , where ε can be determined based on the size of the quantization codebook and the channel statistics . now , in case of su - mimo scheduling ( when q = 1 ) v j is a submatrix of ĝ j formed by a particular subset of its columns . this column subset is uniquely determined given ĝ j and the transmitted rank r j . we first offer the following result lemma 1 under su - mimo scheduling , the true sinr seen by user - j for its i th stream , sinr i , j , can be lower bounded by sinr i , j ≧( { circumflex over ( r )} j / r j ) γ i , j , 1 ≦ i ≦ r j . ( 24 ) next , in case of mu - mimo scheduling let v 1 , j 1 ≦ j ≦ 2 denote the two normalized transmit precoding vectors , respectively , with a =[ u 1 , u 2 ]=√{ square root over ( ρ / 2 )}[ v 1 , 1 , v 1 , 2 ] denoting the intended transmit precoder . we impose no restriction on how these transmit vectors are derived from the user reported precoders and quantized sinrs . some typical methods are zero - forcing beamforming and maximum signal to leakage noise ratio ( i . e ., max slnr ) based beamforming [ 17 , 18 ]. we offer the following result , where without loss of generality we consider user - 1 . lemma 2 under mu - mimo user pairing , the worst - case true sinr seen by user - 1 for its stream , sinr 1 wc is given by then , defining c ( f )= a t q 1 ( f { circumflex over ( d )} 1 1 / 2 ), r = vec ( r 1 † ), d ( f )=[ f { circumflex over ( d )} 1 1 / 2 ĝ 1 † u 1 − 1 , f { circumflex over ( d )} 1 1 / 2 ĝ 1 † u 2 ] t , the worst - case true sinr can be lower bounded as another simplified model is also possible . here we assume that the channel output seen by user - 1 can be modeled as follows . y 1 ={ circumflex over ( d )} 1 1 / 2 ĝ 1 † u 1 s 1 +{ circumflex over ( d )} 1 1 / 2 ( ĝ 1 † + r 1 † q 1 † ) u 2 s 2 + η 1 , ( 29 ) where η 1 ˜ cn ( 0 , i ). note that in ( 29 ) we essentially assume that the uncertainty in the channel affects only the interfering stream . for this model , let us first determine the true worst - case sinr seen by user - 1 assuming that it employs the mmse receiver . the worst - case sinr can now be written as lemma 3 under mu - mimo user pairing and the model in ( 29 ), the worst - case true sinr seen by user - 1 for its stream can be lower - bounded as follows . defining c ( f )= u 2 t q 1 ({ circumflex over ( d )} 1 1 / 2 ), r = vec ( r 1 † ), d ( f )= f { circumflex over ( d )} 1 1 / 2 ĝ 1 † u 2 , the worst - case true sinr is lower bounded by { circumflex over ( b )} 2 , where { circumflex over ( b )} is the solution of the following optimization problem . ( 31 ) can be solved using a bisection search on τ wherein an sdp in the remaining variables is solved for each fixed choice of τ . let us now consider the mrc receiver ( i . e ., user - 1 uses the linear combiner u 1 † ĝ 1 { circumflex over ( d )} 1 1 / 2 ) and the model in ( 29 ). now the worst - case sinr can be expressed as : for the mrc receiver , we can extend the above sinr approximation to a general case of q users ( q ≧ 2 ) with the precoding matrix u k employed for the kth user . the signal model received at user - 1 in ( 34 ) can be rewritten as user - 1 then applies the linear combiner for the ith stream u i , 1 † ĝ 1 { circumflex over ( d )} 1 1 / 2 , where u i , k denotes the ith column of the precoding matrix u k . the worst - case sinr can be expressed as : where ū i , k denotes the matrix obtained from u k with the removal of the ith column . by separating each layer from interfering users and applying ( 33 ), we can obtain the lower bound of ( 35 ), given by where λ max ( q 1 † u k ) denotes the maximal eigen value of u k † q 1 q 1 † u k . the proof of ( 37 ) is given as follows . proof : denote ψ k =∥ u i , 1 † ĝ 1 { circumflex over ( d )} 1 1 / 2 h 1 u 5 ∥ 2 . from ( 23 ), we have ψ k =∥ u i , 1 † ĝ 1 { circumflex over ( d )} 1 ( ĝ 1 † + r 1 † q 1 † ) u k ∥ 2 =∥ u i , 1 † ĝ 1 { circumflex over ( d )} 1 r 1 † q 1 † u k ∥ 2 , ( 38 ) where the second equality follows from ĝ 1 † u k = 0 for k ≠ 1 due to zf precoding . we drop the subscripts and let ψ k =∥ b † r † z ∥ 2 , where we let b † ={ tilde over ( b )} † ũ and obtain the svd decomposition of z , given by where ũ , { tilde over ( w )}, and { tilde over ( v )}, are unitary matrices , and λ is the matrix in which the diagonal elements are the ordered singular values of z and all other entries are zeros . we then have we assume σ 1 2 ≧ σ 2 2 ≧ . . . . since ∥ r 1 ∥ 2 ≦∥ r ∥ f 2 ≦ ε 2 , we have to set ε 2 with a reasonable value , we can first the statistics of ∥ r ∥ f 2 based on a certain channel model , which is explained in appendix a in detail . we can also set ε 2 according to its statistics obtained directly from the simulations . as aforementioned , there is a mismatch between the channel sinr feedback and the actual sinr that the user sees after being scheduled . the sinr feedback in the su csi report assuming su - mimo transmission results in a large sinr mismatch if the mu - mimo trans - mission is scheduled . the mu report is presented in section 3 . 2 to mitigate such sinr mismatch . we now evaluate the sinr mismatch performance for the sinr feedback in both su and mu feedback reports . for each type of channel report , we consider the following three cases , namely , the su - mimo transmission , mu - mimo transmission , and the mu - mimo transmission with sinr scaling and zf beamforming . the cumulative distribution function ( cdf ) curves of the sinr mismatch for these cases are illustrated in fig6 . we know that the perfect sinr feedback will result in a zero value of sinr mismatch . consequently , the cdf curve of the sinr mismatch for the perfect channel feedback is a unit step function . therefore , the sinr mismatch cdf curves for better sinr feedback at the user end or sinr approximation at the base station should be closer to the unit step function . the positive value of the sinr mismatch means that the sinr reported by the user is larger than the actual receive sinr when the corresponding stream is transmitted . using such overestimated sinr feedback for rate matching or mcs assignment will cause the decoding error at the receiver and incur a retransmission . the negative value of sinr mismatch indicates that the sinr feedback underestimates the actual sinr . although the transmitted data stream with the rate matching based on the underestimated sinr can be decoded at receiver , the assigned data rate is lower than what the channel can actually support , which causes performance degradation . based on above discussions , we can see from fig6 that the sinr feedback in su reports provides the best estimate for the actual sinr . however , the su report results in a extremely large sinr mismatch when mu - mimo transmission is scheduled . the most portion of the sinr mismatch for such case is in the positive region , meaning that neglecting the interference from co - scheduled users is too optimistic on the sinr feedback . with sinr scaling , the sinr mismatch is slightly improved . on the contrary , we can see that with the mu report , the sinr mismatch is significantly improved over the su report . although the performance of mu report for mu - mimo is not as good as the su report for su - mimo transmissions , its sinr mismatch cdf curve is very close to that of su - mimo with su report , indicating that the mu feedback provides a good estimate of sinr for the mu - mimo transmission even the user does not have the knowledge of precoding matrix for the co - scheduled streams in advance . with sinr scaling , the sinr computation for mu - mimo transmission is further improved . the sinr mismatch cdf curve is almost overlapped with that of su report for su - mimo . however , a large mismatch observed for the su - mimo transmission with only the mu csi report . we can see that the sinr feedback in the mu report is mostly smaller than the actual sinr value that user sees after being scheduled , which will incur performance degradations due to the channel underestimation . with signal - to - interference - plus - noise - ratio sinr mismatch results for different scenarios , we can come up with a simple remedy for the sinr mismatch by applying offset value ζ δ to the sinr feedback ( in db ). the sinr offset can be user - specific or uniform among all users . for the sinr feedback in the su report , when mu - mimo transmission is scheduled , before the rate matching , we apply a negative offset on the sinr feedback on the sinr feedback directly or on the sinr computed after sinr approximation described in section 4 . if the sinr offset is applied before the sinr approximation , { circumflex over ( d )} j in ( 22 ) becomes { circumflex over ( d )} j = ζ δξ j diag { γ 1 , j , . . . , γ { circumflex over ( r )} j , j }. on the other hand , when su - mimo transmission is scheduled based on the sinr feedback in the mu report , we simply apply a positive offset on the sinr feedback . note that the sinr offset is applied only when the type of sinr feedback is different from the mimo transmission mode eventually being scheduled by the base station . as discussed above , the sinr feedback from su report provides a good match for su - mimo transmissions , so does the sinr feedback from mu report for mu - mimo transmissions . we then do not need to apply any sinr offset for these two cases . the cdf curves of the sinr mismatch after applying a sinr offset are illustrated in fig7 . for mu - mimo with su reports , a uniform ζ δ =− 4 db sinr offset is applied to the sinr values before or after the sinr scaling . for the su - mimo transmission with mu reports , a uniform ζ δ =+ 1 . 5 db is added to the feedback sinr . from this it can be seen that the simple uniform sinr offset can improve the sinr mismatch performance significantly . for mu - mimo with su reports , the sinr mismatch results for the offset applied before and after sinr scaling are a little bit different . the one applied before sinr scaling is slightly better as it is closer to the unit step function . however , compared with the performance of the mu report , the sinr mismatch cdf curve after applying a sinr offset for the su report in mu - mimo transmission is still quite off the step function with larger tails in both the positive and negative regions . if we compare the effects between the sinr overestimation ( sinr mismatch in the positive region ) and underestimation ( sinr mismatch in the negative region ), we find that the performance loss caused by sinr overestimation is more than that caused by the sinr underestimation . the rationale behind this is that the current commonly used scheduling algorithm is inefficient on the resource allocations for retransmissions as the sinr overestimation will mostly result in a retransmission which doubles the usage of channel resources for the same data sequence while the sinr underestimation only incurs a small factional rate loss . although it is more reasonable to apply the sinr offset before the sinr scaling , i . e ., directly on the sinr feedback , it is more flexible and less complex for the base station to apply the sinr offset after sinr approximation ( before the rate matching or mcs assignment ) so that base station can easily adjust the offset value and combine it with outer loop link adaptation ( olla ). for the sinr offset after zf beamforming , we can numerically find a good value from the sinr mismatch evaluations . we have collect n s samples of su reports with sinr scaling and zf beamforming and the corresponding actual sinr that user experiences sinr n , in mu - mimo transmissions . assuming that chase combining hybrid automatic repeat request ( arq ) is employed , given a sinr offset ζ δ , the average spectral efficiency in a cell can be approximated by the average rate of n s samples , given by where 1 (•) is the indicator function , l n ( cc ) =┌ ζ δ / sinr n ┐ is the number of retransmissions required for successfully decoding at the receiver , and l m denotes the maximum number of retransmissions allowed in the system . we evaluate the average rate from the samples for difference values of ζ δ and find the one with the best output . if hybrid arq with incremental redundancy ( ir ) is employed , the average rate can be written as where l n ( ir ) =┌ log 2 ( 1 + ζ δ / log 2 ( 1 + sinr n )┐. in lte - a systems , dynamic switching between su - mimo and mu - mimo transmissions is supported . as shown in section 5 . 1 , when feedback is computed assuming a different transmission mode , a severe sinr mismatch occurs , particularly for the case of mu - mimo scheduling based on su csi reports . although a simple uniform sinr offset can alleviate such mismatch , the large tails on both side of the cdf curves will still cause a certain performance loss . since the mu reports provide better estimate of the sinr for mu - mimo transmissions , the better solution would be that both types of csi reports are available at the base station . however , the feedback channel resource is expensive and limited . to overcome this problem , we can perform a user pooling for feedback mode selection as follows . as we know , the performance gain of mu - mimo is mostly achieved in the high snr region . therefore , we pool the users into two groups . for the low geometry users who are mostly away from the base station , we do not need to schedule them for mu - mimo transmissions so that only the su report is needed . for high geometry users who are close to the base station , we request them send the mu csi report or both su and mu reports . since the pathloss on the transmit power is inversely proportional to the square or cubic of the distance , the low geometry users usually have smaller values on the average snr than the high geometry users . hence , we impose a snr threshold , snr th on the long - term average snr which is available at the base station . for the users with the long - term average snr smaller than snr th , we request only the su report from them . for the users with the long - term average snr larger than snr th , we request the mu report or both su and mu reports from this group of users . note that if we only request the mu report for high geometry users , the amount of feedback resource will be the same as that for the su - mimo systems . the only signal overhead would be the signaling for the feedback mode selection which can be sent in a semi - static manner . similarly for selection of the feedback reports , we can also apply the user pooling at the base station when the pairs users for mu - mimo in the scheduler . again , we pool the active users into two groups . for one group of users , we only schedule them with su - mimo transmissions . for the other group of users , we schedule them with dynamic switching between su - mimo and mu - mimo transmissions . we consider the following three metrics for user pooling . if only one type of channel report at the base station , similarly as user pooling for feedback mode selection , we group users by imposing a threshold snr th on the long - term average snr . we put a user with long - term average snr below the threshold snr th into the pool of which the users will be scheduled only for su - mimo transmissions . only for the user has a long - term average snr above the threshold snr th , we put it into the pool of users enabled for mu pairing . long - term average snr only indicates the average channel quality of the user . with the small - scale fading , the channel quality varies in a short time scale . therefore , instead of long - term average snr , the instantaneous sinr can also be the metric for user pooling . the instantaneous sinr can be obtained by the channel feedback from either su report or mu report . since feedback ri { circumflex over ( r )} k can be greater than one , we then consider the following rule to obtain the instantaneous sinr . we first obtain the sum rate r k from the csi feedback for all { circumflex over ( r )} k streams for the user . we then obtain the mapped sinr for user pooling from the sum - rate r k or rate per layer r k /{ circumflex over ( r )} k , respectively given by sinr ′ k = 2 r k − 1 or sinr ′ k = 2 r k /{ circumflex over ( r )} k 1 . ( 44 ) we then compare the sinr ′ k with the threshold snr th for user pooling . since a weighted rate , i . e ., the normalized instantaneous rate r k / t k , is used as the pf scheduling metric , it is then natural to consider it as the user pooling metric . similarly as before , we can first map the value r k / t k to a sinr value by sinr ′ k = 2 r k / t k − 1 then compare it with the threshold for user pooling . please note that even with two types of feedback reports from a group of users or all active users , we can still employ such user pooling for the scheduling to improve the system throughput performance . the performance gain may be much smaller , though . we now evaluate the mu - mimo performance with the different types of channel reports and the enhancement methods described in section 4 and section 5 via system level simulations of a mimo - ofdm system . the simulation parameters are summarized in table 1 , fig1 . we first consider the mu - mimo with only the su csi report . the cell average spectral efficiencies and the 5 % cell edge spectral efficiencies of mu - mimo performance for various settings have been determined . the su - mimo performance is also included for comparisons . the sinr scaling and zf beamforming described in section 4 are employed for all settings . for some cases , the sinr offset and user pooling are applied to improve the system throughput . since there is only one type of csi report available at the base station , the user pooling is only applied in the scheduler . we set snr th = 7 db as the pooling threshold . it can be seen that without any processing on the su report , the average cell spectral efficiency performance of mu - mimo is much worse than that of su - mimo . with a simple − 4 db sinr offset , the spectral efficiency performance is improved significantly but still below the su - mimo mark . we can see that with user pooling based on the long - term average snr and instant sinr , the performance of mu - mimo is further improved and the gain of mu - mimo over the su - mimo transmission is then realized . we then set a rank restriction , i . e ., r max = 1 , in the simulation so that users only report the pmi of the best rank - 1 precoding vector and the associated sinr . as can be seen from table 2 , fig1 , the performance of the user pooling based on instant sinr and long - term average snr improves . the best spectral efficiency performance with rank - 1 restriction is from the user pooling based on long - term average snr , which is about 11 . 5 % improvement over that of su - mimo . we now evaluate the performance spectral efficiency as a function of the sinr offset ζ δ . we consider the case of user pooling with long - term average snr and rank - 1 restriction . the normalized rate or spectral efficiency over the maximum value is shown in fig8 . the estimate average rates with chase combining and ir based hybrid arq are obtained using ( 42 ) and ( 43 ), respectively , from the simulations for the sinr mismatch evaluation . the system level simulation results with chase combining are also plotted . we can see that the normalized spectral efficiency matches quite well with the estimated rate . the optimal operation point is at about ζ δ = 3 . 25 db with the corresponding spectral efficiency being 2 . 4227 . similarly , we can also find the better threshold for user pooling . however , we do not have a simple scheme except completely relying on simulations . we consider the same case as above , i . e ., su report employing user pooling based on long - term average snr and rank - 1 precoding restriction . we find that we can further improve the performance of mu - mimo with average cell spectral efficiency being 2 . 4488 by using 12 db as the pooling threshold . we now present the performance of sinr approximation using channel model given in ( 23 ). due to high complexity of sdp optimization , we consider the signal model in ( 29 ) and sinr approximation for mrc receiver given in ( 33 ). the key issue of mrc sinr approximation for better rate matching is to find a good setting on ε . to achieve this , we obtain sample values of ε 2 from the simulator by matching the approximate mrc sinr with the actual sinr from the mmse receiver . the cdf curve of ε 2 is illustrated in fig9 . with r max = 1 . due to the channel uncertainty and outdate , it is possible that we obtain some negative values for ε 2 . with this cdf curve , we can set the ε 2 or ε value corresponding to different cdf percentages . in fig1 we illustrate the sinr mismatch cdf curves for mrc sinr approximations with different ε settings . for each cdf curve , a unique sinr offset is applied so that the 60 % cdf point is moved to the zero point of the sinr mismatch . the case of ε = 0 is also included in the figure , which corresponds to previous case of the simple sinr scaling and the mmse receiver . we can see that ε corresponding to the 70 % cdf value provides the best performance in the positive region of sinr mismatch ( sinr overestimate ) which is closer to the step function than other settings . however , the simple sinr scaling , i . e ., ε = 0 , shows better performance in the negative region of sinr mismatch ( sinr underestimate ). therefore , a tradeoff is necessary in both regions to have better performance . from fig1 we can see that ε corresponding to the 50 % cdf value could be a better choice . the results of cell average spectral efficiency for different ε values are shown in fig1 without user pooling . the value of ε = 0 . 1654 corresponds to the 50 % cdf value of ε . the spectral efficiency for mrc sinr approximation with ε = 0 . 1654 is 2 . 4954 , which is close to the optimum . we include this result in table 2 , fig1 . also seen from table 2 instant sinr feedback based user pooling , we can further improve the performance of mrc sinr approximation . the resulting spectral efficiency is 2 . 5141 , a 17 % gain over su - mimo . we now evaluate the statistics of ε 2 for r max = 2 . the resulting cdf curves are shown in fig1 . since we consider up - to two - user pairing , we have total four scenarios , i . e ., ( r 1 , r 2 )=( 1 , 1 ), ( 1 , 2 ), ( 2 , 1 ), and ( 2 , 2 ). we present the cdf curves for each scenario separately . moreover , for the scheduled users with two layers , we illustrate the cdf curves separately for ε 2 obtained from sinr matching for two layers . from fig1 . a diverse ε 2 is observed for the second layers for both ( r 1 = 2 , r 2 = 1 ) and ( r 1 = 2 , r 2 = 2 ) cases , indicating a huge sinr mismatch for the data stream transmitted in the second layer . this is due to the co - polarized antenna setting with small antenna spacing , which is usually rank deficient . the receive sinr of the second stream is much smaller and suffering more by the interfering streams from co - scheduled users . therefore , for the co - polarized antennas , it is better to pair the user with rank - 1 transmissions . we now consider mu csi report with the assumption of uniform power allocation . with both types of csi reports can be obtained at user terminals , we can apply user pooling technique to configure the report mode of user terminal . we can let high geometry ( hg ) user terminals , i . e ., the users with larger long - term average snr , send back either mu csi report only ( without additional feedback channel resource ) or both su and mu csi reports ( with additional feedback channel resources ) to the base station . then at base station , we can also employ user pooling technique to schedule either su or mu - mimo transmissions based on the instantaneous channel feedback . fig1 illustrates the performance of the average cell spectral efficiency for mu - mimo with various report configurations , namely , mu report by all users , mu report by hg users without user pooling in the scheduler ( denoted as case 1 ), mu report by hg users with user pooling and sinr offset for su transmissions ( denoted as case 2 ), both mu and su report by hg users , the mu report and su cqi report by hg users , and finally the su report plus mu cqi report by hg users . we impose rank - 1 restrictions on the csi feedback . we can see from fig1 that with mu csi reports from all active users and without any additional processing , the average cell spectral efficiency is 2 . 3321 which is about 8 . 5 % gain over the su - mimo . if high geometry users send back mu csi reports and others send su reports , the performance is improved with the average cell spectral efficiency being 2 . 5572 now , about 19 % higher than that of su - mimo , and also about 2 . 5 % higher than the mu - mimo performance ( without pooling ) with only the su reports from all users . if we apply the user pooling when performing user pairing for mu - mimo based on the instantaneous feedback and also employ the sinr offset of ζ δ =+ 1 . 5 db on the mu sinr report when su - mimo is scheduled , the average cell spectral efficiency is then 2 . 6517 , a 23 . 4 % gain over the su - mimo and a 6 . 3 % gain over the mu - mimo with su csi reports . when both mu and su complete csi reports from hg users are available at the base station , the spectral efficiency becomes 2 . 694 with the cost of additional feedback channel resources . however , if we request only the cqi feedback for one type of report instead of full csi reports to reduce the feedback overhead , the performance degradation is negligible . for example , with mu csi and su cqi reports from hg users , the spectral efficiency is 2 . 693 , or with the su csi and mu cqi from hg users , the spectral efficiency is 2 . 6814 . for both cases , the performance degradation is less than 0 . 5 %. the detailed values including 5 % cell edge spectral efficiency are provided in table 3 , fig1 . we can see that the cell edge performance is also improved with user pooling , sinr offset , and additional channel report . now we consider the mu report based on nonuniform power allocation . here , the 4 - bit cqi feedback is applied . the performance of mu - mimo for both uniform and nonuniform power allocations with various settings on the channel feedback is listed in table 4 , fig1 . the percentage in the parentheses is the gain over the mu - mimo with the su report given in the second row . for the nonuniform power allocation , we set the power allocation factor α = 0 . 5 . again we impose rank - 1 restrictions on all channel feedbacks . it is observed from table 4 that for all settings , the channel feedback based on the nonuniform power allocation provides better spectral efficiency performance than the corresponding uniform power allocation with about 1 - 3 % improvement . compared with the performance of su report , the performance gains are about 5 - 6 . 5 %, which is impressive from the system level point of view . in this paper , we have considered the performance improvement for practical dl mu - mimo transmission with linear procoding and quantized channel feedback . two types of channel reports from user terminals are treated , namely , the su report assuming su - mimo transmissions and the mu reports assuming mu - mimo transmissions . we have introduced several techniques to improve the mu - mimo performance including sinr approximation , sinr offset , user pooling , and non - uniform power allocations in conjunction with various settings of csi reports . the performance of proposed techniques has been evaluated by the system level simulations and the numerical results have demonstrated the efficiency of the proposed techniques for the performance enhancement on mu - mimo . for a channel matrix h we obtain its svd decomposition as h = uλv † . if the user preferred precoder has a rank r ≦ min { n , m }, we then assume that the user chooses to receive only along the span of its first r ( r dominant ) receive ( left ) singular vectors so that the model post - projection at the user is given by where { tilde over ( h )} is an r × m complex - valued matrix with svd { tilde over ( h )}= ũ { tilde over ( λ )}{ tilde over ( v )} † , where { tilde over ( v )}{ tilde over ( )} is an m × r matrix containing the r dominant right singular vectors of h . the precoder selection based on the chordal distance is then given by where tr denotes the trace of a matrix . we then decompose { tilde over ( v )} as the summation of its components in the subspace of the reported semi - unitary precoder ĝ and in the orthogonal subspace ĝ ⊥ , given by where x is a unitary matrix with x † x = i r and qq † = i − ĝĝ † . so { tilde over ( v )} † = a † x † ĝ † + b † q † . since tr ({ tilde over ( v )}{ tilde over ( v )} † )= tr ({ tilde over ( v )} † { tilde over ( v )})= r , we then have d 2 ( { tilde over ( v )}, g )= r − tr [( { tilde over ( v )} † ĝ )( ĝ † { tilde over ( v )} )]= r − tr ( a † a )= tr ( b † b ). ( a . 5 ) to normalize the projection to the subspace of ĝ , we then have hence , given a channel matrix h , we first find { tilde over ( v )} and the preferred precoder ĝ , then obtain ∥ r ∥ f 2 by ( a . 8 ). by generating the channel based on a certain channel statistics , we can obtain the statistics of ∥ r ∥ f 2 and set a reasonable upper bound ε for the sinr approximation described in section 4 . 2 . since i − ĝĝ † = qq † , we can obtain q by qr decomposition of i − ĝĝ † . having described preferred embodiments of a system and method ( which are intended to be illustrative and not limiting ), it is noted that modifications and variations can be made by persons skilled in the art in light of the above teachings . it is therefore to be understood that changes may be made in the particular embodiments disclosed which are within the scope of the invention as outlined by the appended claims . having thus described aspects of the invention , with the details and particularity required by the patent laws , what is claimed and desired protected by letters patent is set forth in the appended claims .
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an improved handheld electronic device 4 in accordance with the invention is shown in fig1 . the handheld electronic device 4 includes an improved keyboard 8 in accordance with the invention that is depicted , in whole or in part , in fig2 - 11 . more particularly , the handheld electronic device 4 includes the keyboard 8 , a housing 12 , a display 16 , and a suitable processor 18 ( e . g ., without limitation , a microprocessor ) having software 20 that resides in the handheld electronic device 4 and that provides functionality to inputs received from the keyboard 8 and provides outputs to the display 16 . the keyboard 8 and the display 16 are disposed on the housing 12 , and the operability of the software 20 is enabled by the processor 18 . examples of handheld electronic devices are included in u . s . pat . nos . 6 , 452 , 588 and 6 , 489 , 950 , which are incorporated by reference herein . as can be seen in fig2 , the exemplary keyboard 8 includes a plurality of keys 60 , each of which includes a number of characters 24 . as used herein , the expression “ a number of ” and variations thereof shall refer broadly to any non - zero positive quantity , including a quantity of one . the exemplary keys 60 depicted and described herein each include a first character 28 that is generally centrally disposed on the key 60 , a second character 32 that is generally disposed at a left end ( from the perspective of fig2 ) of the key 60 , and a third character 36 that is generally disposed at a right end ( from the perspective of fig2 ) of the key 60 , with the first , second , and third characters 28 , 32 , and 36 being referable collectively , in whole or in part , by the aforementioned numeral 24 . as can further be seen in fig2 , many of the exemplary first characters 28 are digits , and many of the second and third characters 32 and 36 , respectively , are letters . also , many of the second and third characters 32 and 36 , respectively , together are of a qwerty configuration to provide a qwerty key configuration for the handheld electronic device 4 of fig1 . it is understood , however , that the arrangement of the characters 24 can be different than the exemplary arrangement depicted in fig2 . for instance , the first , second , and third characters 28 , 32 , and 36 , respectively , can together form a qwerty arrangement . alternately , the characters 24 could be numerical or mathematical symbols , could be characters of different languages , or could be of virtually any other character and / or keyboard configuration . as can be best understood from fig3 , the keyboard 8 includes a keypad 40 , a primary conductor portion 44 , a secondary conductor portion 48 having a spacer 52 , and a printed circuit board 56 . the aforementioned components of the keyboard 8 can be adhered together or otherwise attached to one another , while in other embodiments the components need not be adhered to one another in any fashion . the keypad 40 includes the aforementioned keys 60 and a key panel 64 . the keys 60 are movably disposed on the key panel 64 and are permitted to pivot slightly with respect thereto . the primary conductor portion 44 includes a plurality of conductive domes 68 disposed on a dome panel 72 . the dome panel 72 includes a plurality of primary holes 74 ( fig8 ) formed therein and a plurality of flexible adhesive members 70 ( fig8 ) disposed on one surface of the dome panel 72 and positioned adjacent the primary holes 74 . the domes 68 extend through the primary holes 74 , and the apex of each dome 68 , i . e ., the proud portion thereof , is adhered to one of the adhesive members 70 . the circular edge of each dome 68 opposite the apex thereof protrudes outwardly from and beyond the associated primary hole 74 . while in the depicted exemplary embodiment the domes 68 are adhered to the dome panel 72 with the adhesive members 70 , it is understood that in other embodiments the domes 68 and the dome panel 72 may be connected together in other fashions , or might not be connected together at all , without departing from the concept of the invention . the domes 68 are elastically deflectable between a relaxed position , i . e ., fig8 , and a deflected position , i . e ., fig9 - 11 . the movement of the domes 68 between the relaxed and deflected positions occurs via elastic deformation of the domes 68 and causes the domes to “ snap ” between the relaxed and deflected conditions to provide a desirable tactile feedback . the secondary conductor portion 48 includes a plurality of elongated conductive carbon strips 76 disposed on a flexible support sheet 80 . the support sheet 80 includes a plurality of primary holes 84 formed therein between pairs of adjacent carbon strips 76 . the primary holes 84 in the support sheet 80 are arranged to correspond with and be similar to the arrangement of the primary holes 74 in the dome panel 72 . it is understood that in other embodiments the secondary conductor portion 48 could have elongated strips of a different conductive material , such as a metal or other material , without departing from the concept of the invention . the support sheet 80 may be a thin plastic sheet , although other configurations are possible . it is understood that the primary conductor portion 44 and the secondary conductor portion 48 can be said to provide switches for the keys 60 . such switches of the primary conductor portion 44 provide a tactile feedback , and such switches of the secondary conductor portion 48 generally do not provide tactile feedback , but such switches could be of other configurations . the spacer 52 is a sheet of material that can be generally said to space the carbon strips 76 away from the printed circuit board 56 . the spacer 52 includes a plurality of circular primary holes 88 arranged in rows similar to the arrangement of the primary holes 84 in the support sheet 80 and the primary holes 74 in the dome panel 72 . the spacer 52 additionally includes a plurality of elongated secondary holes 92 that correspond generally with the arrangement of the carbon strips 76 on the support sheet 80 . in the exemplary embodiment , the spacer 52 is a thin sheet of an insulative material , such as plastic , although configurations are possible . it is also understood that the keyboard 8 potentially could be configured in other fashions that would eliminate the need for the spacer 52 but would still be considered to be within the scope of the invention . as is best shown in fig7 , the printed circuit board 56 includes a plurality of primary contacts 96 and a plurality of secondary contacts 100 . the primary and secondary contacts 96 and 100 , respectively , are electrically conductive electrical contacts which , when connected with one another , such as with a conductor extending therebetween , completes a circuit or completes an open portion of a circuit . the primary contacts 96 are , in the depicted exemplary embodiment , arranged in pairs and specifically include a ball contact 98 and a ring contact 102 , with the ring contact 102 extending concentrically about the ball contact 98 . the domes 68 ( fig8 ) each also extend through an aligned pair of the primary holes 84 and 88 formed in the support sheet 80 and the spacer 52 , respectively . the circular ends of the domes 68 rest on the ring contacts 102 of the primary contacts 96 . the secondary contacts 100 are arranged in pairs and are generally of an “ intermeshed comb ” arrangement . in the exemplary embodiment of the printed circuit board 56 depicted in fig7 and described herein , certain of the primary contacts 96 are electrically connected with leads to certain of the secondary contacts 100 , and numerous other contact configurations are possible without departing from the concept of the invention . as can be understood from fig8 - 11 , each key 60 includes a finger plate 104 , a first protrusion 108 in the exemplary form of a hollow cylinder , a second protrusion 112 , and a third protrusion 116 . the finger plate 104 is engageable by a user &# 39 ; s finger and includes the characters 24 ( fig2 ) disposed thereon . the first , second , and third protrusions 108 , 112 , and 116 , respectively , extend outwardly away from the finger plate 104 in a common direction which , in the exemplary embodiment , is opposite the characters 24 . in the exemplary key 60 of fig8 - 11 , the free ends of the first , second , and third protrusions 108 , 112 , and 116 , respectively , do not lie within a plane and may be of configurations other than that depicted herein depending upon the configuration of the other components of the keyboard 8 . as can further be understood from fig8 , each key 60 is associated with one of the domes 68 and with a pair of the carbon strips 76 ( fig3 ). in fig8 , the key 60 is in an initial position which corresponds with the relaxed position of the associated dome 68 and the relaxed positions of the associated carbon strips 76 . when the key 60 is depressed straight toward the printed circuit board 56 , such as is depicted generally in fig9 , and which would correspond with a user pressing the key 60 at the first character 28 ( fig2 ), the first protrusion 108 of the key 60 engages the dome 68 that is associated with the key 60 and elastically collapses the dome 68 to the deflected position , while the carbon strips 76 associated the dome 68 remain in their relaxed positions . the key 60 in fig9 is in the first terminal position , and thus it can be seen that the key 60 is movable between the initial position and the first terminal position . when the dome 68 is in the deflected position , it contacts the ball contact 98 of the associated pair of primary contacts 96 . the domes 68 are primary conductors which , when engaged with a corresponding set of primary contacts 96 , electrically connect together the pair of primary contacts 96 in order to complete a circuit or to complete an open portion of a circuit , which provides a first function associated with the first terminal position of the key 60 . the dome 68 is configured to “ snap ” when moving between the relaxed position ( fig8 ) and the deflected position ( fig9 ), and such a “ snap ” provides a desirable tactile feedback to the user . as can be understood from fig1 and 11 , the key 60 is also movable between the initial position and the second terminal position , i . e ., fig1 , that would correspond with a user pressing the second character 32 ( fig2 ), which provides the key 60 with a second function associated with the second terminal position of the key 60 . the key 60 is also movable between the initial position and the third terminal position , i . e ., fig1 , which would correspond with a user pressing the third character 36 ( fig2 ) of the key 60 to provide the key with a third function associated with the third terminal position of the key 60 . when the key 60 is in the second terminal position , i . e ., fig1 , the associated dome 68 is in its deflected position , and one of the carbon strips 76 associated with the key 60 is also in its deflected condition . when the key 60 is in the third terminal position , i . e ., fig1 , the associated dome 68 is in its deflected position , and the other of the carbon strips 76 associated with the key 60 is also in its deflected condition . each carbon strip 76 serves as a secondary conductor that is engageable with a pair of the secondary contacts 100 for the purpose of electrically connecting together the pair of secondary contacts 100 to complete a circuit or to complete an open portion of a circuit . the carbon strips 76 are mounted on the support sheet 80 ( fig5 ), which is flexible , and which permits elastic deflection of the carbon strips 76 between a relaxed position ( fig8 ) and the aforementioned deflected position ( fig1 and 11 ). the carbon strips 76 in the deflected position extend through the associated secondary holes 92 in the spacer 52 ( fig6 ). in the exemplary embodiment depicted herein the carbon strips 76 do not “ snap ” or otherwise proved a discrete tactile feedback to the user . some feedback to the user is acceptable , however , such as the slight additional finger force required to elastically deflect the carbon strips 76 between the relaxed and deflected positions . in other embodiments , the carbon strips 76 can be configured to provide specific tactile feedback to the user in moving between the relaxed and deflected positions without departing from the concept of the invention . the key 60 in the second terminal position is pivoted slightly in a direction away from the first terminal position . in the exemplary embodiment depicted herein , the second terminal position , i . e ., fig1 , is pivoted in a counter - clockwise direction from the first terminal position , i . e ., fig9 , from the perspective of fig9 and 11 . when the key 60 is in the third terminal position , as is depicted in fig1 , the associated dome 68 is in the deflected condition , and the other associated carbon strip 76 is deflected from its relaxed position to its deflected position . the key 60 in the third terminal position is pivoted in a different direction away from the first terminal position , which direction in the depicted embodiment is a clockwise direction from the first terminal position , i . e ., fig9 , from the perspective of fig9 and 11 . when the carbon strips 76 are moved to their deflected positions , which alternately occur at the second and third terminal positions of the key 60 , the deflected carbon strip 76 engages an associated pair of the secondary contacts 100 and , being a conductor , electrically connects together the pair of secondary contacts 100 . in the embodiment depicted herein , a given pair of the secondary contacts 100 extends along the printed circuit board 56 adjacent a plurality of the pairs of primary contacts 96 and , in the depicted embodiment , the primary contacts 96 of some of the pairs of the primary contacts 96 lie on opposite sides of the given set of secondary contacts 100 . since , in the depicted exemplary embodiment , a single pair of the secondary contacts 100 extends past a plurality of pairs of the primary contacts 96 , the single set of secondary contacts 100 serves as the associated secondary contacts 100 for all of the keys 60 with which the adjacent pairs of primary contacts 96 are associated . it thus can be seen that each key 60 is movable between the initial position and a plurality of terminal positions , i . e ., the first , second , and third terminal positions , depicted in fig9 - 11 , respectively . the three terminal positions are associated with the three characters 24 ( fig2 ) on the keys 60 , and the various engagements of the domes 68 and the carbon strips 76 provide various inputs to the handheld electronic device 4 and to which the processor 18 and the software 20 provide functionality . an keying chart is provided in table 1 . the vertical column key out refers to five outputs from the processor 18 to the keyboard 8 which are normally set to high . key in refers to eight inputs to the processor 18 from the keyboard 8 which are normally set to low . the numerals c1 , c2 , c3 , c4 , c5 , and c6 ( fig5 ) refer to the exemplary six carbon strips 76 identified from left to right from the perspective of fig5 . the processor 18 scans the key out outputs and scans the key in inputs to detect changes of state . for instance , if the qw key is pressed to the third terminal position , the dome that corresponds with the qw key would electrically connect the corresponding primary contacts 96 , and the c2 carbon strip ( fig5 ) would electrically connect the corresponding secondary contacts 100 . from the collapsing of the qw dome , the processor 18 would detect that the voltage of key out 0 had dropped and that the voltage of key in 0 had risen . this would provide an input ( 0 , 0 ) to the processor 18 . from the deflection of the c2 carbon strip the processor 18 would detect that the voltage of key out 1 had dropped and that the voltage of key in 4 had risen . this would provide an input ( 1 , 4 ) to the processor 18 . an key combination chart is provided in table 2 . from the example given above , the combination of inputs qw , i . e ., ( 0 , 0 ) and c2 , i . e ., ( 1 , 4 ) results in the character w . the processor 18 sends an appropriate signal to the display 16 to depict the character w . in the exemplary embodiment , the second and third characters 32 and 36 , respectively , i . e ., the various letters of the keyboard 8 , are generated from inputs of combinations of keys 60 and carbon strips 76 , although this need not be the case . the first characters 28 , i . e ., the digits and symbols of the keyboard 8 , are generated from inputs of combinations of the key 60 on which the digit or symbol appears and the alt key 62 , although this need not be the case . various configurations of key in and key out , as well as the key combination , can be employed without departing from the concept of the invention . another example , for which sample keying and key combination charts have not been provided , would include a situation in which the actuation of a single key 60 to the first terminal position would result in an input to the processor 18 which the processor 18 would recognize as the first character 28 disposed at the center of the key 60 . when one of the keys 60 is pressed to the first terminal position , the processor 18 would recognize the action as the input of the first character 28 without the need to press additional keys , such as the alt key 62 . furthermore , such a key 60 could additionally include a fourth character 24 disposed at the center of the key 60 which , when combined with the alt key 62 , could be recognized by the processor 18 as a different fourth input . the improved keyboard 8 can be employed in numerous different advantageous fashions with the handheld electronic device 4 . for instance , and as depicted herein , the second and third characters 32 and 36 , respectively , ( fig2 ) can be letters that together form a qwerty keyboard , and the first characters 28 can be digits and the other symbols found on a typical keyboard . the software 20 potentially could provide a predictive text function which reviews a user &# 39 ; s inputs from the keyboard 8 and corrects errors ( e . g ., without limitation , spelling and / or grammar errors ), such as if the first character 28 is pressed instead of the second character 32 , then the software 20 concludes that the second character 32 was desired to have been input . while specific embodiments of the invention have been described in detail , it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications and alternatives to those details could be developed in light of the overall teachings of the disclosure . accordingly , the particular arrangements disclosed are meant to be illustrative only and not limiting as to the scope of the invention which is to be given the full breadth of the claims appended and any and all equivalents thereof .
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the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description , which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings , wherein the same references relate to the same elements . in the following , a first embodiment is set forth to explain how a test - used printed circuit board ( pcb ) having an in - series circuit involved with a join test action group ( jtag ) signal according to the present invention is operated , with fig1 referred to simultaneously , wherein fig1 depicts a schematic diagram of the pcb having the in - series circuit involved with the jtag signal according to the first embodiment of the present invention . in this embodiment , the test - used pcb having the in - series circuit involved with the jtag signal according to the present invention comprises the test - used pcb 10 . the test - used pcb 10 further comprises a first jtag connective interface 11 , a second jtag connective interface 12 , and a jtag control chip 13 . a first embodied aspect is only having a single jtag control chip 13 . the first jtag connective interface 11 further comprises a first test clock ( tck ) pin tck 1 , a first interface test mode select ( tms ) pin tms 1 , a first interface test data in ( tdi ) pin tdi 1 , and a first interface test data out ( tdo ) pin tdo 1 . the second jtag connective interface 12 further comprises a second tck pin tck 2 , a first interface tms pin tms 1 , a first interface tdi pin tdi 1 , and a first interface tdo pin tdo 2 . the jtag control chip 13 further comprises a chip test clock pin tck 3 , a chip test mode select pin tms 3 , a chip test data pin tdi 3 , and a chip test data out pin tdo 3 . the first interface tck pin tck 1 , the second interface clock pin tck 2 and the chip test clock pin tck 3 are electrically connected through a buffer chip 14 and a match resistor 15 , to promote a signal in quality . the first and second interface tms pins tms 1 , tms 2 are electrically connected through the buffer chip 14 and the match resistor 15 , to promote the signal in quality . the first interface tdi pin tdi 1 and the chip tdi pin tdi 3 of the jtag control chip 13 are electrically connected through pull - up resistor 16 . the chip tdo pin tdo 3 and the second interface tdi pin tdi 2 are electrically connected through the math resistor 15 , to promote the signal in quality . the first interface tdo pin tdo 1 and the second interface tdo pin tdo 2 are electrically connected . it is to be noted that a sequence of the first interface tck pin tck 1 , the first interface tms pin tms 1 , the first interface tdi pin tdi 1 and the first interface tdo pin tdo 1 of the first jtag connective interface 11 and a sequence of the second interface tck pin tck 2 , the second interface tms pin tms 2 , the second interface tdi pin tdi 2 and the second interface tdo pin tdo 2 of the second jtag connective interface 12 are the same . in this manner , two test - used pcbs 10 are connected in series through the first jtag connective interface 11 and second jtag connective interface 12 , so that a plurality of test - used pcbs 10 may be connected in series to a jatg port of a test access port ( tap ) controller , to reduce a requirement of the tap controller and the jtag port . in the following , a second embodiment is set forth to explain how the test - used pcb having the in - series circuit involved with the jtag signal according to the present invention is operated , with fig2 referred to simultaneously , wherein fig2 depicts a schematic diagram of the pcb having the in - series circuit involved with the jtag signal according to the second embodiment of the present invention . in this embodiment , the pcb having the in - series circuit involved with the jtag signal according to the present invention comprises the test - used pcb 10 . the test - used pcb 10 further comprises a first jtag connective interface 11 , a second jtag connective interface 12 , and a first jtag control chip 131 and a second jtag control chip 132 . the second embodied aspect is set forth by having only two jtag control chips . further , over two jtag control chips may be deduced based on this embodied aspect , which is omitted herein for clarity . the first jtag connective interface 11 further comprises a first test clock ( tck ) pin tck 1 , a first interface test mode select ( tms ) pin tms 1 , a first interface test data in ( tdi ) pin tdi 1 , and a first interface test data out ( tdo ) pin tdo 1 . the second jtag connective interface 12 further comprises a second tck pin tck 2 , a first interface tms pin tms 2 , a first interface tdi pin tdi 2 , and a first interface tdo pin tdo 2 . the first jtag control chip 131 further comprises a chip test clock pin tck 3 , a chip test mode select pin tms 3 , a chip test data pin tdi 3 , and a chip test data out pin tdo 3 . the second jtag control chip 132 further comprises a chip test clock pin tck 4 , a chip test mode select pin tms 4 , a chip test data pin tdi 4 , and a chip test data out pin tdo 4 . the first interface tms pin tms 1 , the second interface tms tms 2 are electrically connected through a buffer chip 14 and a match resistor 15 , to promote a signal in quality . the first and second interface tms pins tms 1 , tms 2 are electrically connected through the match resistor 15 , to promote the signal in quality . the chip tms pin tms 3 and the chip tms pin tms 4 are directly electrically connected . the first interface tdi pin tdi 1 and the chip tdi pin tdi 3 of the jtag control chip 131 are electrically connected through the pull - up resistor 16 . the chip tdo pin tdo 3 and the chip tdi pin tdi 4 of the second jtag control chip 132 are directly electrically connected . the chip tdo pin tdo 4 of the second jtag control chip 132 are electrically connected to through the match resistor 15 , to promote the signal in quality . the first interface tdo pin tdo 1 and the second interface tdo pin tdo 2 are directly electrically connected . it is to be noted that a sequence of the first interface tck pin tck 1 , the first interface tms pin tms 1 , the first interface tdi pin tdi 1 and the first interface tdo pin tdo 1 of the first jtag connective interface 11 and a sequence of the second interface tck pin tck 2 , the second interface tms pin tms 2 , the second interface tdi pin tdi 2 and the second interface tdo pin tdo 2 of the second jtag connective interface 12 are the same . in this manner , two test - used pcbs 10 are connected in series through the first jtag connective interface 11 and second jtag connective interface 12 , so that a plurality of test - used pcbs 10 may be connected in series to a jatg port of a tap controller , to reduce a requirement of the tap controller and the jtag port . in addition , with reference to fig3 a and fig3 b , wherein fig3 a and fig3 b depict a schematic diagram of a pin arrangement of the first and second jtag connective interfaces of the test - used pcb having the in - series circuit involved with the jtag signal according to the present invention , respectively . the schematic diagram of the first jtag connective interface 11 and the schematic diagram of the second jtag connective interface 12 can be used to the first embodiment and the second embodiment . the first jtag connective interface 11 further comprises ground pins gnd corresponded and staggered with the first interface tck pin tck 1 , the first interface tms pin tms 1 , the first interface tdi pin tdi 1 and the first interface tdo pin tdo 1 . the ground pin gnd is used to promote an emi capability of the first interface tck pin tck 1 , the first interface tms pin tms 1 , the first interface tdi pin tdi 1 and the first interface tdo pin tdo 1 . the second jtag connective interface 12 further comprises ground pins gnd corresponded and staggered with the second interface tck pin tck 2 , the second interface tms pin tms 2 , the second interface tdi pin tdi 2 and the second interface tdo pin tdo 2 . the ground pin gnd is used to promote an emi capability of the second interface tck pin tck 2 , the second interface tms pin tms 2 , the second interface tdi pin tdi 2 and the second interface tdo pin tdo 2 . in addition , a sequence of the first interface tck pin tck 1 , the first interface tms pin tms 1 , the first interface tdi pin tdi 1 and the first interface tdo pin tdo 1 and the ground pins gnd and a sequence of the second interface tck pin tck 2 , the second interface tms pin tms 2 , the second interface tdi pin tdi 2 and the second interface tdo pin tdo 2 and ground pins gnd are the same . in this manner , two test - used pcbs 10 are connected in series through the first jtag connective interface 11 and second jtag connective interface 12 , so that a plurality of test - used pcbs 10 may be connected in series to a jatg port of a tap controller , to reduce a requirement of the tap controller and the jtag port . in summary , the present invention has the technical difference as compared to the prior art that the test - used pcb has the first and second jtag connective interfaces , through which over one test - used pcb may be connected in series , whereby a plurality of test - used pcbs may be connected in - series onto a jtag port of a tap controller , to reduce the requirement of the tap controller and the jtag port . by using the technical means , the issues encountered in the prior art that the complexity and inconvenience issues on the test - used pcb to be tested may be solved , to further achieve in the technical efficacy where the requirement of the tap controllers and the jtag ports may be reduced . although the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments , this description is not meant to be construed in a limiting sense . various modifications of the disclosed embodiments , as well as alternative embodiments , will be apparent to persons skilled in the art . it is , therefore , contemplated that the appended claims will cover all modifications that fall within the true scope of the invention .
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this invention is described in preferred embodiments in the following description with reference to the figures , in which like numbers represent the same or similar elements . reference throughout this specification to “ one embodiment ,” “ an embodiment ,” or similar language means that a particular feature , structure , or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention . thus , appearances of the phrases “ in one embodiment ,” “ in an embodiment ,” and similar language throughout this specification may , but do not necessarily , all refer to the same embodiment . the described features , structures , or characteristics of the invention may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments . in the following description , numerous specific details are recited to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the invention . one skilled in the relevant art will recognize , however , that the invention may be practiced without one or more of the specific details , or with other methods , components , materials , and so forth . in other instances , well - known structures , materials , or operations are not shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of the invention . high - power , pulsed fiber lasers are of great interest in applications such as laser micromachining , material processing , nonlinear optics , and laser sensing . high power fiber lasers are commonly achieved via the means of making a fiber - based master - oscillator - power - amplifier ( mopa ). fig1 illustrates the schematic of mopa configuration . the seed laser is amplified by a fiber amplifier . typically the seed laser is amplified by a rare - earth doped gain fiber , which is energized by pump laser . fig2 shows the cross section view of a rare - earth doped fiber . the pump laser is combined together with seed laser via the so - called signal and pump combiner . the amplified seed laser can be amplified again in order to achieve higher pulse energy and higher peak power . when more than one amplifier is used , the fiber amplifiers are called multi - stage amplifiers . in order to achieve high power , double - cladding rare - earth doped gain fiber is typically used . fig3 illustrate the typically cross section view of double cladding gain fiber . the core is used to guide the signal . here it is called seed laser . the inner cladding is used to confine the pump lasers . the core is typically rare - earth doped glass . the rare - earth ion produces gain . for example , ytterbium ion ( yb 3 + ) and neodymium ( nd 3 + ) offer gain near 1 micron wavelength , erbium ion ( er 3 + ) produces gain near 1 . 55 micron , thulium ion ( tm 3 + ) and holmium ion ( ho 3 + ) can produce gain near 2 micron wavelength . the inner cladding is typically undoped glass material with a lower refractive index in order to form waveguide in the core . the external cladding layer can be glass material or polymer material , which has a lower refractive index to confine the pump laser in the inner cladding . in order to generate polarization maintaining ( pm ) output , pm gain fiber is needed . fig4 illustrates the cross section view of typical pm fiber . high pulse energy and high peak power is needed for many applications . due to the strong transverse confinement and long interaction length , power scaling of fiber amplifier is limited by the onset of nonlinear effects . for single - frequency / narrow - band amplifiers , stimulated brillouin scattering ( sbs ) has the lowest threshold and possibly causes much of the signal light to be reflected back . for broader signal bandwidth , stimulated raman scattering ( srs ) can happen at higher power levels and transfer a lot of signal power into unwanted new wavelength components . the sbs threshold power for narrow band signal is determined by the following equation 1 : where b is a number between 1 and 2 which depends on polarization state . a e is the effective area . gb is the sbs gain coefficient . le is the effective transmission length of the fiber . the threshold power for srs can be described as the following equation ( 2 ) therefore , the threshold of optical nonlinearity in fiber increases with the effective area and decreases with the effective transmission length of the fiber . the effective area increase with the core diameter of the fiber and the mode filed diameter of the fiber . for single mode core , the mode field diameter is typically proportional to the physical core diameter of the fiber . in order to increase the pulse energy and peak power of the fiber laser one need to increase the threshold of the optical nonlinearity of gain fiber . in order to increase the threshold of the optical nonlinearity of gain fiber , the length of the gain fiber should be short and the core diameter of the gain fiber should be large . the length of the gain fiber is limited by pump absorption . cladding pumped fiber amplifiers often have a length of many meters for efficiently absorbing of pump light . a high doping concentration can improve the absorption and then shorten the length of the gain fiber . however , the doping concentration of typical silica fiber is limited . so typically a few meter long gain fiber is used . the core diameter is limited in order to ensure the fiber is single mode fiber . the beam quality will degrade and is no longer single mode when the v number of the fiber is more than 2 . 405 , where λ is the vacuum wavelength , a is the radius of the fiber core , and na is the numerical aperture . as can be seen in the equation ( 3 ), a lower na value can compensate the increased core size and keep the v number as low as possible . however , there is also a limit to reduce the na for conventional step index fiber . u . s . pat . no . 8 , 774 , 590 disclosed a refractive index difference between the core the clad of 0 . 05 to 0 . 30 % of silica fiber . this patent teaches that a light storing effect of the optical fibers cannot be sufficiently obtained when the relative refractive index difference between the core and clad is lower than 0 . 05 %. the refractive index of silica glass is approximately 1 . 45 . the refractive index of the core glass is 1 . 4507 . so the na of the fiber should be near 0 . 04 by using the following equation 4 : na = n core 2 - n clad 2 , ( 4 ) n clad = 1 . 45 n core = 1 . 45 *( 1 + 0 . 0005 )= 1 . 4507 when the na is 0 . 046 , the single mode core diameters are 16 . 65 micron for 1 micron wavelength laser , 25 . 8 micron for 1 . 55 micron wavelength laser , and 33 . 3 micron for 2 micron wavelength laser in according to equation ( 3 ). although u . s . pat . no . 8 , 774 , 590 claims a core diameter of 20 to 30 micron for ytterbium doped fiber laser ( ytterbium doped fiber laser wavelength is 1 micron ), the v number is already larger than 2 . 405 , which means it is not truly single mode fiber anymore . fiber bending is needed in order to filter out the higher order mode . so the true single mode core diameter near 1 micron is approximately 16 . 65 micron . further , silica fibers for u . s . pat . no . 8 , 774 , 590 are formed using mcvd ( modified chemical vapor deposition ) or vad ( vapor axial deposition ) method to deposit the core material . a problem , however , arises with these conventional optical fibers in that current optical fiber manufacturing methods are restricted in their ability to precisely control the indices of refraction of the core material ( n core ) and the cladding material ( n clad ). because of this restricted ability , in commercially practical fiber , the difference between n core and n clad is usually limited by design to no less than 0 . 1 %. this , in turn , restricts the designed size of the core diameter for a given wavelength , and / or restricts the wavelengths of single - mode operation of a fiber for a given core diameter . for example , one common optical fiber manufacturing method referred to as flame hydrolysis uses a burner to fire a combination of metal halide particles and sio 2 ( called a “ soot ”) onto a rotating graphite or ceramic mandrel to make the optical fiber perform . see keiser , optical fiber communications , 2nd ed ., mcgraw - hill ( 1991 ), which is incorporated by reference herein , at pp . 63 - 68 . the index of refraction is controlled by controlling the constituents of the metal halide vapor stream during the deposition process . the process is “ open loop ” without a feedback mechanism to precisely control the ultimate index of refraction of the optical material . moreover , the metal halide vapor stream is limited in its controllability and in its ability to control the ultimate index of refraction of the optical material . during the process a good portion of the material will be vaporized , therefore , it is extremely difficult to control the difference of the refractive index difference to close to 0 . 05 % ( equals to na of 0 . 046 ). so most gain fibers have na of 0 . 08 or larger . another approach is to use the so - called photonic crystal fiber ( pcf ) design to achieve a large core diameter . a photonic crystal fiber ( also called holey fiber , hole - assisted fiber , microstructure fiber , or microstructured fiber ) is an optical fiber which obtains its waveguide properties not from a spatially varying glass composition but from an arrangement of very tiny and closely spaced air holes which go through the whole length of fiber . such air holes can be obtained by using a preform with holes , made e . g . by stacking capillary and / or solid tubes and inserting them into a larger tube . these fibers are not step index fibers and their guiding mechanism is different from step index fibers . laser - active pcfs for fiber lasers and amplifiers can be fabricated , e . g ., by using a rare - earth - doped rod as the central element of the preform assembly . rare earth dopants ( e . g . ytterbium or erbium ) tend to increase the refractive index , the guiding properties are determined by the photonic microstructure only and not by a conventional - type refractive index difference . for high - power fiber lasers and amplifiers , double - clad pcfs can be used , where the pump cladding is surrounded by an air cladding region ( air - clad fiber ). due to the very large contrast of refractive index , the pump cladding can have a very high numerical aperture ( na ), which significantly lowers the requirements on the pump source with respect to beam quality and brightness . such pcf designs can also have very large mode areas of the fiber core while guiding only a single mode for diffraction - limited output , and are thus suitable for very high output powers with excellent beam quality . but pcf ( microstructured fiber ) has many disadvantages including difficulty for fabrication , difficulty for fusion splicing , poor thermal conductivity of the air - gap , and relatively low doping in the core of the fiber . therefore , it is strongly desired to have a step index fiber with a large core diameter , which is truly single mode fiber . we disclose a type of gain fiber , which has a numerical aperture of between 0 . 01 and 0 . 04 , resulting an extremely large single mode core diameter . here the host of the rare - earth ions , the gain elements , is the multicomponent glasses , which is different from the most commonly used silica glass . it is well known that silica fibers are made with vapor deposition method , which contains almost no alkali metal ions nor alkaline earth metal ions because these ions are not compatible with vapor deposition process . the total content should be less than 0 . 1 weight percent . multicomponent glasses always contain alkali metal ions or alkaline earth metal ions , which is at least more than 1 weight percent . the alkali metals include lithium ( li ), sodium ( na ), potassium ( k ), and the alkaline earth metals are beryllium ( be ), magnesium ( mg ), calcium ( ca ), strontium ( sr ), and barium ( ba ). these alkali metal ions or alkaline earth metal ions are called glass network modifier in multicomponent glasses . other metal ions such as zn and pb can act as glass network modifiers , which again is not compatible with vapor deposit process . multicomponent glasses include phosphate glasses , silicate glasses , tellurite glasses , germanate glasses , et al . u . s . pat . no . 6 , 816 , 514 , in the name of jiang disclose rare - earth doped phosphate - glass fiber for fiber laser application . u . s . pat . no . 6 , 859 , 606 in the name of jiang , disclose erbium doped boro - tellurite glasses for 1 . 5 micron fiber amplification . u . s . pat . no . 7 , 298 , 768 in the name of jiang , disclose germanate glasses for fiber lasers . u . s . pat . no . 8 , 121 , 154 to jiang disclosed silicate glasses for fiber laser applications . multicomponent glass fibers are used for fiber laser application because of theirs capability of high doping concentrations . these patents limit their advantages of using a relatively shorter piece of gain fiber compared to silica glass fiber . but for high pulse energy fiber lasers , a large core diameter is critical . applicants have discovered that a large core diameter can be obtained from multicomponent glass gain fibers . the numerical aperture can be from 0 . 01 to 0 . 04 . therefore , the core diameter can be from 25 micron to 60 micron for 1 micron wavelength , 35 micron to 90 micron for 1 . 55 micron wavelength , and 45 micron to 120 micron for 2 micron wavelength . in a related embodiment , the core diameter can be from 60 microns to 150 microns . applicants dope high rare - earth ions into the fiber , so the total length of the gain fiber is not longer than 60 cm . therefore the gain fiber can be packaged straight . no bending is necessary . because of the extremely large core diameter and relatively short length of gain fiber , a peak power of greater than 50 kw can be achieved without optical nonlinearity . applicants have developed a new cladding pumped polarization maintaining yb doped fiber based on silicate materials . with large mode size , high yb doping level and low na , the fiber amplifier has achieved record high threshold for nonlinear effects while keep excellent diffraction limited beam quality . table 1 compares the parameters of applicants &# 39 ; yb - doped fiber with most popular commercial cladding pumped yb fibers . as shown in table 1 , applicants &# 39 ; fiber yb # 35 has an estimated nonlinear threshold power ˜ 640 times higher than that of the commercial fiber . while the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated in detail , it should be apparent that modifications and adaptations to those embodiments may occur to one skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention .
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substituents designated parenthetically herein indicate that the substituent is optionally present , e . g ., a 4 -( substituted ) amino compound contains either an unsubstituted 4 - amino group or a substituted 4 - amino group . reaction scheme i illustrates processes of the invention and the preparation of compounds of the invention . the unsubstituted compound of formula i is a known compound and other compounds of formula i can be prepared by methods known to those skilled in the art and disclosed , e . g ., in chemistry of heterocyclic compounds ( english edition ), 1981 , 16 , ( 12 ), 1286 - 1288 ( zyryanov ). ## str1 ## in step ( 1 ) of reaction scheme i a 4 - nitrotetrazolo [ 1 , 5 - a ] quinolin - 5 - ol of formula ii is provided by nitrating a tetrazolo [ 1 , 5 - a ] quinolin - 5 - ol of formula i . conventional conditions for such reactions are well known . preferred conditions in the instance where r is hydrogen involve heating in acetic acid in the presence of nitric acid . preferred conditions in other instances will depend upon the particular tetrazolo [ 1 , 5 - a ] quinolin - 5 - ol used , and those skilled in the art will be able to select suitable conditions . the product can be isolated from the reaction mixture using conventional methods . in step ( 2 ) of reaction scheme i a 4 - nitrotetraozolo [ 1 , 5 - a ] quinolin - 5 - sulfonate of formula iii is provided by reacting a 4 - nitrotetrazolo [ 1 , 5 - a ] quinolin - 5 - ol of formula ii with a sulfonyl halide or preferably a sulfonic anhydride . suitable sulfonyl halides include alkylsulfonyl halides such as methanesulfonyl chloride and trifluoromethanesulfonyl chloride , and arylsulfonyl halides such as benzenesulfonyl chloride , p - bromobenzenesulfonyl chloride and p - toluenesulfonyl chloride . suitable sulfonic anhydrides include those corresponding to the above - mentioned sulfonyl halides . sulfonic anhydrides are preferred in view of the fact that the sulfonate anion generated as a by - product of the reaction is a relatively poor nucleophile and as such does not give rise to undesired side products such as those in which the nitro group is displaced . a particularly preferred sulfonic anhydride is trifluoromethanesulfonic anhydride . the reaction is preferably carried out by combining a compound of formula ii with a base , preferably an excess of a tertiary amine base ( e . g ., a trialkylamine base such as triethyl amine ) in a suitable solvent such as dichloromethane and then adding the sulfonyl halide or sulfonic anhydride . the addition is preferably carried out in a controlled fashion ( e . g ., dropwise ) and at a reduced temperature ( e . g ., about 0 ° c .). the product can be isolated by conventional methods or it can be carried on without isolation as described below in connection with step ( 3 ). in step ( 3 ) of reaction scheme i a ( 5 - substituted ) 4 - nitrotetrazolo [ 1 , 5 - a ] quinolin - 5 - amine of formula iv is provided by reacting a 4 - nitrotetrazolo [ 1 , 5 - a ] quinolin - 5 - sulfonate of formula iii with an amine , preferably in the presence of an excess of an amine base in a solvent such as dichloromethane . suitable amines include ammonia and preferably primary amines . primary amines provide 5 - substituted amino compounds of formula iv wherein the amino substituent is represented by r 1 . particularly preferred amines include isobutylamine and 2 - aminomethyl - 2 - propanol . the reaction can be carried out by adding an excess of amine to the reaction mixture resulting from step ( 2 ). the reaction can also be carried out by adding an excess of amine to a solution of the compound of formula iii in a solvent such as dichloromethane . as the sulfonate is a relatively facile leaving group the reaction can be run at ambient temperature . the product can be isolated from the reaction mixture using conventional methods . in step ( 4 ) of reaction scheme i a ( 5 - substituted ) tetrazolo [ 1 , 5 - a ] quinolin - 4 , 5 - diamine of formula v is provided by reducing a ( 5 - substituted ) 4 - nitrotetrazolo [ 1 , 5 - a ] quinolin - 5 - amine of formula iv . methods for such reduction are well know to those skilled in the art . preferably the reduction is carried out using a conventional heterogeneous hydrogenation catalyst such as platinum on carbon or palladium on carbon . the reduction can be conveniently carried out on a paar apparatus in a solvent such as ethanol . the product can be isolated from the reaction mixture using conventional methods . in step ( 5 ) of reaction scheme i a ( 5 - substituted ) ( 6 - substituted ) 6h - imidazo [ 4 , 5 - c ] tetrazolo [ 1 , 5 - a ] quinoline of formula vi is provided by reacting a ( 5 - substituted ) tetrazolo [ 1 , 5 - a ] quinolin - 4 , 5 - diamine of formula v with a carboxylic acid or an equivalent thereof . suitable equivalents to carboxylic acid include acid halides , orthoesters , and 1 , 1 - dialkoxyalkyl alkanoates . the carboxylic acid or equivalent is selected such that it will give rise to the desired 6 - substituent in the compound of formula vi wherein the 6 - substituent is designated r 2 ( e . g ., acetyl chloride will give rise to a compound where r 2 is methyl ). the reaction can be run in the absence of solvent or preferably in an inert solvent in the presence of a carboxylic acid or equivalent thereof with sufficient heating to drive off any alcohol or water formed as a side product of the reaction . the product can be isolated from the reaction mixture using conventional methods . in step ( 6 ) of reaction scheme i a ( 1 - substituted ) ( 2 - substituted ) n - triphenylphosphinyl - 1h - imidazo [ 4 , 5 - c ] quinoline - 4 - amine of formula vii is provided by reacting a ( 5 - substituted ) ( 6 - substituted ) 6h - imidazo [ 4 , 5 - c ] tetrazolo [ 1 , 5 -] quinoline of formula vi with triphenylphosphine . the reaction can be carried out by combining a compound of formula vi with triphenylphosphine in a suitable solvent such as 1 , 2 - dichlorobenzene and heating . the product can be isolated from the reaction mixture using conventional methods . in step ( 7 ) of reaction scheme i a ( 1 - substituted ) ( 2 - substituted ) 1h imidazo [ 4 , 5 - c ] quinoline - 4 - amine of formula viii is provided by hydrolysis of a ( 1 - substituted ) ( 2 - substituted ) n - triphenylphosphinyl - 1h - imidazo [ 4 , 5 - c ] quinolin - 4 - amine of formula vii . such a reaction can be carried out by general methods well known to those skilled in the art ( e . g ., by heating in a lower alkanol in the presence of an acid ). the product can be isolated from the reaction mixture by conventional means . in reaction scheme i , r &# 39 ; can be any group that can be incorporated into a sulfonyl halide or a sulfonic anhydride . alkyl ( e . g ., methyl ), haloalkyl including perfluoroalkyl ( e . g ., trifluoromethyl ) and aryl ( e . g ., phenyl , halophenyl and tolyl ) are all suitable . reaction scheme ii illustrates processes of the invention and the preparation of compounds of the invention . compounds of formula ix and methods for their preparation are known and disclosed , e . g . in u . s . pat . nos . 4 , 988 , 815 ( andre ), and 5 , 268 , 376 ( gerster ), both patents being incorporated herein by reference . ## str2 ## in step ( 1 ) of reaction scheme ii a ( 5 - substituted ) 4 - nitrotetrazolo [ 1 , 5 - a ] quinolin - 5 - amine of formula iv is provided by reacting a ( 4 - substituted ) amino - 2 - chloro - 3 - nitroquinoline of formula ix with sodium azide . the reaction can be carried out by combining the compound of formula ix with sodium azide in a suitable solvent such as n , n - dimethylformamide and heating ( about 50 ° c .). the product can be isolated from the reaction mixture using conventional methods . steps ( 2 ), ( 3 ), ( 4 ) and ( 5 ) of reaction scheme ii can be carried out in the same manner as steps ( 4 ), ( 5 ), ( 6 ) and ( 7 ) of reaction scheme i respectively . reaction scheme iii illustrates processes of the invention and the preparation of compounds of the invention . compounds of formula x and methods for their preparation are known and disclosed , e . g ., in european patent application 90 . 301776 . 3 , u . s . pat . nos . 4 , 689 , 338 ( gerster ), 4 , 698 , 348 ( gerster ), 4 , 929 , 625 ( gerster ), 4 , 988 , 815 ( andre ), 5 , 268 , 376 ( gerster ), and 5 , 389 , 640 ( gerster ) all six patents being incorporated herein by reference . ## str3 ## in step ( 1 ) of reaction scheme iii a ( 1 - substituted ) ( 2 - substituted ) 4 - hydrazino - 1h - imidazo [ 4 , 5 - c ] quinoline of formula xi is provided by reacting a ( 1 - substituted ) ( 2 - substituted ) 4 - chloro - 1h - imidazo [ 4 , 5 - c ] quinoline of formula x with hydrazine . the reaction can be carried out by combining a compound of formula x with an excess of hydrazine and heating if necessary . the product can be isolated from the reaction mixture using conventional methods . in step ( 2 ) of reaction scheme iii a ( 5 - substituted ) ( 6 - substituted ) 6h - imidazo [ 4 , 5 - c ] tetrazolo [ 1 , 5 - a ] quinoline of formula vi is provided by reacting a ( 1 - substituted ) ( 2 - substituted ) 4 - hydrazino - 1h - imidazo [ 4 , 5 - c ] quinoline of formula xi with sodium nitrite . the reaction can be carried out by combining the compound of formula xi with sodium nitrite in a suitable solvent ( e . g ., water ) in the presence of an acid ( e . g ., acetic acid ). the product can be isolated from the reaction mixture using conventional methods . steps ( 3 ) and ( 4 ) of reaction scheme iii can be carried out in the same manner as steps ( 6 ) and ( 7 ) of reaction scheme i respectively . the compounds of formula viii can be used in the form of acid addition salts such as hydrochlorides , dihydrogen sulfates , trihydrogen phosphates , hydrogen nitrates , methane sulfonates and salts of other pharmaceutically acceptable acids . pharmaceutically acceptable acid addition salts of formula viii are generally prepared by reaction of the respective compound with an equimolar amount of a strong acid , preferably an inorganic acid such as hydrochloric , sulfuric or phosphoric acid or an organic acid such as methanesulfonic acid in a polar solvent . isolation of the salt is facilitated by the addition of a solvent in which the salt is insoluble ( e . g ., diethyl ether ). processes of the invention provide as a final product a 1h - imidazo [ 4 , 5 - c ] quinolin - 4 - amine , preferred embodiments of which can be represented by formula viii . preferably the 1h - imidazo [ 4 , 5 - c ] quinolin - 4 - amine is a compound defined by one of formulas xxi - xxv below : ## str4 ## wherein r 11 is selected from the group consisting of alkyl , hydroxyalkyl , acyloxyalkyl , benzyl , ( phenyl ) ethyl and phenyl , said benzyl , ( phenyl ) ethyl or phenyl substituent being optionally substituted on the benzene ring by one or two moieties independently selected from the group consisting of alkyl of one to about four carbon atoms , alkoxy of one to about four carbon atoms and halogen , with the proviso that if said benzene ring is substituted by two of said moieties , then said moieties together contain no more than 6 carbon atoms ; acylaminoalkyl wherein the alkyl moiety contains two to four carbon atoms ; disubstituted aminoalkyl wherein the alkyl moiety contains two to four carbon atoms ; morpholinoalkyl wherein the alkyl moiety contains two to four carbon atoms ; r 21 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen , alkyl of one to about eight carbon atoms , benzyl , ( phenyl ) ethyl and phenyl , the benzyl , ( phenyl ) ethyl or phenyl substituent being optionally substituted on the benzene ring by one or two moieties independently selected from the group consisting of alkyl of one to about four carbon atoms , alkoxy of one to about four carbon atoms and halogen , with the proviso that when the benzene ring is substituted by two of said moieties , then the moieties together contain no more than 6 carbon atoms ; and each r a is independently selected from the group consisting of alkoxy of one to about four carbon atoms , halogen and alkyl of one to about four carbon atoms , and n is an integer from 0 to 2 , with the proviso that if n is 2 , then said r a groups together contain no more than 6 carbon atoms ; ## str5 ## wherein r 12 is selected from the group consisting of straight chain or branched chain alkenyl containing 2 to about 10 carbon atoms and substituted straight chain or branched chain alkenyl containing 2 to about 10 carbon atoms , wherein the substituent is selected from the group consisting of straight chain or branched chain alkyl containing 1 to about 4 carbon atoms and cycloalkyl containing 3 to about 6 carbon atoms ; and cycloalkyl containing 3 to about 6 carbon atoms substituted by straight chain or branched chain alkyl containing 1 to about 4 carbon atoms ; and r 22 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen , straight chain or branched chain alkyl containing one to about eight carbon atoms , benzyl , ( phenyl ) ethyl and phenyl , the benzyl , ( phenyl ) ethyl or phenyl substituent being optionally substituted on the benzene ring by one or two moieties independently selected from the group consisting of straight chain or branched chain alkyl containing one to about four carbon atoms , straight chain or branched chain alkoxy containing one to about four carbon atoms , and halogen , with the proviso that when the benzene ring is substituted by two such moieties , then the moieties together contain no more than 6 carbon atoms ; and each r b is independently selected from the group consisting of straight chain or branched chain alkoxy containing one to about four carbon atoms , halogen , and straight chain or branched chain alkyl containing one to about four carbon atoms , and n is an integer from zero to 2 , with the proviso that if n is 2 , then said r b groups together contain no more than 6 carbon atoms ; ## str6 ## wherein r 23 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen , straight chain or branched chain alkyl of one to about eight carbon atoms , benzyl , ( phenyl ) ethyl and phenyl , the benzyl , ( phenyl ) ethyl or phenyl substituent being optionally substituted on the benzene ring by one or two moieties independently selected from the group consisting of straight chain or branched chain alkyl of one to about four carbon atoms , straight chain or branched chain alkoxy of one to about four carbon atoms , and halogen , with the proviso that when the benzene ring is substituted by two such moieties , then the moieties together contain no more than 6 carbon atoms ; and each r c is independently selected from the group consisting of straight chain or branched chain alkoxy of one to about four carbon atoms , halogen , and straight chain or branched chain alkyl of one to about four carbon atoms , and n is an integer from zero to 2 , with the proviso that if n is 2 , then said r c groups together contain no more than 6 carbon atoms ; ## str7 ## wherein r 14 is -- chr x r y wherein r y is hydrogen or a carbon - carbon bond , with the proviso that when r y is hydrogen r x is alkoxy of one to about four carbon atoms , hydroxyalkoxy of one to about four carbon atoms , 1 - alkynyl of two to about ten carbon atoms , tetrahydropyranyl , alkoxyalkyl wherein the alkoxy moiety contains one to about four carbon atoms and the alkyl moiety contains one to about four carbon atoms , 2 -, 3 -, or 4 - pyridyl , and with the further proviso that when r y is a carbon - carbon bond r y and r x together form a tetrahydrofuranyl group optionally substituted with one or more substituents independently selected from the group consisting of hydroxy and hydroxyalkyl of one to about four carbon atoms ; r 24 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen , alkyl of one to about four carbon atoms , phenyl , and substituted phenyl wherein the substituent is selected from the group consisting of alkyl of one to about four carbon atoms , alkoxy of one to about four carbon atoms , and halogen ; and r d is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen , straight chain or branched chain alkoxy containing one to about four carbon atoms , halogen , and straight chain or branched chain alkyl containing one to about four carbon atoms ; ## str8 ## wherein r 15 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen ; straight chain or branched chain alkyl containing one to about ten carbon atoms and substituted straight chain or branched chain alkyl containing one to about ten carbon atoms , wherein the substituent is selected from the group consisting of cycloalkyl containing three to about six carbon atoms and cycloalkyl containing three to about six carbon atoms substituted by straight chain or branched chain alkyl containing one to about four carbon atoms ; straight chain or branched chain alkenyl containing two to about ten carbon atoms and substituted straight chain or branched chain alkenyl containing two to about ten carbon atoms , wherein the substituent is selected from the group consisting of cycloalkyl containing three to about six carbon atoms and cycloalkyl containing three to about six carbon atoms substituted by straight chain or branched chain alkyl containing one to about four carbon atoms ; hydroxyalkyl of one to about six carbon atoms ; alkoxyalkyl wherein the alkoxy moiety contains one to about four carbon atoms and the alkyl moiety contains one to about six carbon atoms ; acyloxyalkyl wherein the acyloxy moiety is alkanoyloxy of two to about four carbon atoms or benzoyloxy , and the alkyl moiety contains one to about six carbon atoms ; benzyl ; ( phenyl ) ethyl ; and phenyl ; said benzyl , ( phenyl ) ethyl or phenyl substituent being optionally substituted on the benzene ring by one or two moieties independently selected from the group consisting of alkyl of one to about four carbon atoms , alkoxy of one to about four carbon atoms , and halogen , with the proviso that when said benzene ring is substituted by two of said moieties , then the moieties together contain no more than six carbon atoms ; acylaminoalkyl wherein the alkyl moiety contains two to four carbon atoms ; disubstituted aminoalkyl wherein the alkyl moiety contains two to four carbon atoms ; morpholinoalkyl wherein the alkyl moiety contains two to four carbon atoms ; r 25 is ## str9 ## wherein r s and r t are independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen , alkyl of one to about four carbon atoms , phenyl , and substituted phenyl wherein the substituent is selected from the group consisting of alkyl of one to about four carbon atoms , alkoxy of one to about four carbon atoms , and halogen ; x is selected from the group consisting of alkoxy containing one to about four carbon atoms , alkoxyalkyl wherein the alkoxy moiety contains one to about four carbon atoms and the alkyl moiety contains one to about four carbon atoms , haloalkyl of one to about four carbon atoms , alkylamido wherein the alkyl group contains one to about four carbon atoms , amino , substituted amino wherein the substituent is alkyl or hydroxyalkyl of one to about four carbon atoms , azido , alkylthio of one to about four carbon atoms ; and r e is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen , straight chain or branched chain alkoxy containing one to about four carbon atoms , halogen , and straight chain or branched chain alkyl containing one to about four carbon atoms ; the compounds recited above are disclosed and claimed in the several patents noted above in the summary of the invention and discussed below . in instances where n can be zero , one , or two , n is preferably zero or one . the substituents r a - r e above are species embraced by r . the preferred r substituent is hydrogen . the substituents r 11 - r 15 above are species embraced by r 1 . the preferred r 1 substituents are alkyl of one to about six carbon atoms , hydroxy alkyl wherein the alkyl moiety contains one to about 6 carbon atoms , and arylalkyl wherein the alkyl moiety contains one to about three carbon atoms . most preferably the r 1 substituent is 2 - methylpropyl , 2 - hydroxy - 2 - methylpropyl , benzyl or phenylethyl . the substituents r 21 - r 25 above are species embraced by r 2 the preferred r 2 substituents are hydrogen , alkyl of one to about four carbon atoms , alkoxyalkyl wherein the alkoxy moiety contains one to about four carbon atoms and the alkyl moiety contains one to about four carbon atoms , hydroxyl alkyl wherein the alkyl moiety contains one to about four carbon atoms , haloalkyl wherein the alkyl moiety contains one to about four carbon atoms , and aryloxymethyl . most preferably the r 2 substituent is hydrogen , methyl , ethoxymethyl , or benzyl . certain r substituents , r 1 substituents , and r 2 substituents will be incompatible with the particular reaction conditions described above in connection with the reaction schemes . those skilled in the art , however , will be able to select alternative conditions under which the several steps can be carried out and / or methods of functional group protection and manipulation that will allow the use of the processes of the invention in the preparation of 1h - imidazo [ 4 , 5 - c ] quinolin - 4 - amines of diverse structures . certain 1h - imidazo [ 4 , 5 - c ] quinolin - 4 - amines have been disclosed as antiviral agents ( see , e . g ., european patent application 90 . 301776 . 3 ( gerster ), u . s . pat . nos . 4 , 689 , 338 ( gerster ), 4 , 929 , 624 ( gerster ), 5 , 266 , 575 ( gerster ), 5 , 268 , 376 ( gerster ), and 5 , 389 , 640 ( gerster ) all five patents incorporated herein by reference ). certain of these compounds are also known to induce biosynthesis of cytokines such as interferons , interleukins , and tumor necrosis factor in humans and in mice . the examples below are intended to illustrate the invention . all parts and percentages are by weight unless otherwise indicated . anthranilic acid ( 274 . 3 g ) and acetic anhydride ( 1 . 1 l ) were combined then heated at reflux for 3 . 5 hours . the reaction mixture was concentrated under vacuum . the residue was combined with methanol ( 550 ml ) then concentrated under vacuum to provide 2 - methyl - 4 - oxo - 3 , 1 - benzoxazine as a brown oil . the crude 2 - methyl - 4 - oxo - 3 , 1 - benzoxazine was dissolved in acetic acid ( 1 . 9 l ). sodium azide ( 130 . 0 g ) was added to the solution in portions with stirring . the reaction mixture was cooled in an ice bath to maintain the reaction temperature at 25 to 30 ° c . during the addition . the reaction mixture was allowed to stir at ambient temperature over the weekend . the acetic acid was removed under vacuum to provide a white solid . the solid was combined with 10 % sodium hydroxide ( 1 . 4 l ) then heated on a steam bath for 1 hour . additional sodium hydroxide ( 120 g of 50 % sodium hydroxide ) was added . the mixture was heated on a steam bath for an additional hour then allowed to cool to ambient temperature overnight . additional sodium hydroxide ( 120 g of 50 % sodium hydroxide ) was added . the mixture was heated on a steam bath for 2 hours then allowed to cool . the reaction mixture was poured with rapid stirring into a mixture of concentrated hydrochloric acid ( 1 . 0 l ) and ice ( 3 l ). the resulting mixture was stirred at ambient temperature overnight . a precipitate was isolated by filtration , rinsed with water then slurried with water ( 4 l ). the solid was isolated by filtration , rinsed with water then oven dried at 50 ° c . to provide 278 . 0 g of crude 2 -( 5 - methyl - 1h - tetrazol - 1 - yl ) benzoic acid as a tan solid , m . p . 157 - 160 ° c . the crude material was dissolved in 10 % sodium hydroxide ( 2 . 5 l ). the resulting solution was heated ( 95 - 99 ° c .) for 2 . 5 hours , cooled , then poured with vigorous stirring into a mixture of concentrated hydrochloric acid ( 500 ml ) and ice ( 5 l ). the resulting mixture was allowed to stir for 2 hours . the precipitate was isolated by filtration , rinsed with water , then slurried with water ( 3 l ). the solid was isolated by filtration , rinsed with water then dried overnight at ambient temperature to provide 228 g of 2 -( 5 - methyl - 1h - tetrazol - 1 - yl ) benzoic acid , m . p . 164 - 166 ° c . acetone ( 3 . 2 l ) and 2 -( 5 - methyl - 1 - tetrazol - 1 - yl ) benzoic acid ( 228 g ) were combined then stirred at ambient temperature for 15 minutes . potassium carbonate ( 228 g ) was added to the reaction mixture in a single portion . iodoethane ( 366 . 8 g ) was added dropwise to the reaction mixture producing a slight exotherm . the reaction mixture was heated at reflux for about 4 hours then stirred overnight while cooling to ambient temperature . the precipitated salts were removed by filtration then rinsed with acetone . the combined filtrates were evaporated under vacuum . the residue was dissolved in dichloromethane ( 1 . 5 l ). the dichloromethane solution was washed with water ( 1 . 5 l ), dried over magnesium sulfate then concentrated under vacuum to provide 227 g of ethyl - 2 -( 5 - methyl - 1h - tetrazol - 1 - yl ) benzoate as a white solid m . p . 98 - 100 ° c . potassium ethoxide ( 173 . 5 g ) was added in portions with stirring to a mixture of ethyl - 2 -( 5 - methyl - 1 - tetrazol - 1 - yl ) benzoate ( 227 g ) and n , n - dimethylformamide ( 1 . 6 l ). the reaction mixture was cooled with an ice bath to control the resulting exotherm . the reaction mixture was stirred overnight at ambient temperature then quenched with water ( 17 l ). the ph was adjusted to ph 5 with acetic acid ( 170 ml ). the resulting precipitate was isolated by filtration , rinsed with water then reslurried with water ( 2 . 5 l ). the solid was isolated by filtration , rinsed with water then oven dried ( 55 to 60 ° c .) for 16 hours to provide 169 . 0 g of a white solid . a 3 . 0 g sample was recrystallized from ethanol / dichloromethane to provide tetrazolo [ 1 , 5 - a ] quinolin - 5 - ol as a white solid , m . p . 248 ° c . ( dec .). analysis : calculated for c 9 h 6 n 4 o : % c , 58 . 06 ; % h , 3 . 25 ; % n , 30 . 09 ; found : % c , 58 . 02 ; % h , 3 . 29 ; % n , 30 . 20 . tetrazolo [ 1 , 5 - a ] quinolin - 5 - ol ( 10 g , 54 mmole , example 1 ) was suspended in acetic acid ( 200 ml ) then warmed to 40 ° c . nitric acid ( 4 ml of 16m , 59 mmole ) was added to the reaction mixture . the reaction mixture was heated at 80 ° c . for 30 minutes then allowed to cool to ambient temperature . the resulting precipitate was isolated by filtration , rinsed with water then recrystallized from isopropanol / water to provide 8 . 1 g of 4 - nitrotetrazolo [ 1 , 5 - a ] quinolin - 5 - ol hydrate as light yellow plates , m . p . 186 . 5 - 187 ° c . analysis : calculated for c 9 h 5 n 5 o 3 . h 2 o : % c , 43 . 38 ; % h , 2 . 83 ; % n , 28 . 10 ; found : % c , 43 . 27 ; % h , 2 . 84 ; % n , 28 . 25 . sodium azide ( 19 . 5 g , 0 . 3 moles ), 2 - methyl -[( 2 - chloro - 3 - nitroquinolin - 4 - yl ) amino ]- 2 - propanol ( 29 . 6 g , 0 . 10 mole , u . s . pat . no . 4 , 988 , 815 example 12 ) and n , n - dimethylformamide ( 100 ml ) were added to a jacketed 1 liter round bottom flask with the outside portion containing acetone . the reaction mixture was stirred with a stirring bar and the acetone refluxed to provide a constant internal reaction temperature of 53 ° c . after 18 hours the reaction mixture was diluted with water ( 100 ml ). the resulting yellow precipitate was isolated by filtration then washed with 50 % n , n - dimethylformamide / water until the washes became light colored . the yellow / green solid was then washed with water , pressed dry and washed with ether . the solid was air dried to provide 27 . 2 g of crude product as a yellow / light green solid . this material was recrystallized from ethanol / dichloromethane to provide 2 - methyl -[( 4 - nitro - 5 - tetrazolo [ 1 , 5 - a ] quinolinyl ) amino ]- 2 - propanol as a yellow crystalline solid , m . p . 204 ° c . ( dec .). analysis : calculated for : c 13 h 14 n 6 o 3 : % c , 51 . 65 ; % h , 4 . 67 ; % n , 27 . 8 ; found : % c , 51 . 30 ; % h , 4 . 69 ; % n , 27 . 43 . 2 - methyl -[( 4 - nitro - 5 - tetrazolo [ 1 , 5 - a ] quinolinyl ) amino ]- 2 - propanol ( 30 . 2 g , 0 . 10 mole , example 3 ), ethanol ( 300 ml ) and 5 % pd / c ( 1 . 0 g of 50 % water wet ) were placed in a paar apparatus . the mixture was hydrogenated . the mixture was diluted with dichloromethane then filtered to remove the catalyst . the filtrate was concentrated under vacuum . the crude product was recrystallized from ethanol to provide 20 . 5 g of [( 4 - amino - 5 - tetrazolo [ 1 , 5 - c ] quinolinyl ) amino ]- 2 - methyl - 2 - propanol as a yellow / green crystalline solid , m . p . 164 - 167 ° c . analysis : calculated for c 13 h 16 n 6 o : % c , 57 . 33 ; % h , 5 . 92 ; % n , 30 . 88 ; found : % c , 56 . 94 ; % h , 5 . 88 ; % n , 30 . 80 . [( 4 - amino - 5 - tetrazolo [ 1 , 5 - c ] quinolinyl ) amino ]- 2 - methyl - 2 - propanol ( 5 g , 0 . 18 mole , example 4 ) was dissolved in triethyl orthoformate ( 17 g ). the solution was heated at 120 ° c . for 20 hours . the reaction mixture was allowed to cool to ambient temperature then it was diluted with 1 n hydrochloric acid . formic acid ( 20 ml ) was added to the mixture which was then heated at reflux for an hour . the reaction mixture was concentrated under vacuum then neutralized with sodium hydroxide . the crude product was recrystallized from ethanol / ethyl acetate to provide α , α - dimethyl - 6h - imidazo [ 4 , 5 - c ] tetrazolo [ 1 , 5 - a ] quinoline - 6 - ethanol as a solid , m . p . 245 - 248 ° c . analysis : calculated for c 14 h 14 n 6 o : % c , 59 . 55 ; % h , 4 . 99 ; % n , 29 . 77 ; found : % c , 59 . 44 ; % h , 4 . 93 ; % n , 29 . 65 . acetyl chloride ( 16 g , 0 . 020 mole ) was added dropwise to a solution of [( 4 - amino - 5 - tetrazolo [ 1 , 5 - c ] quinolinyl ) amino ]- 2 - methyl - 2 - propanol ( 5 g , 0 . 18 mole , example 4 ) in acetonitrile . the reaction mixture was stirred at ambient temperature for 4 hours . the resulting precipitate was isolated by filtration then dissolved in acetic acid ( about 50 ml ). this solution was refluxed for 2 hours then neutralized with carbonate . the crude product was isolated by filtration then recrystallized initially from hexane / ethyl acetate then from ethanol / ethyl acetate to provide α , α , 5 - trimethyl - 6h - imidazo [ 4 , 5 - c ] tetrazolo [ 1 , 5 - a ] quinoline - 6 - ethanol as a solid , m . p . 202 - 205 ° c . analysis : calculated for c 15 h 16 n 6 o : % c , 60 . 8 ; % h , 5 . 44 ; % n , 28 . 36 ; found : % c , 60 . 68 ; % h , 5 . 48 ; % n , 28 . 28 . 4 - chloro - 1 -( 2 - methylpropyl )- 1h - imidazo [ 4 , 5 - c ] quinoline ( 10 . 0 g , 0 . 0385 moles , u . s . pat . no . 4 , 689 , 338 example 77 ) was added to hydrazine ( 30 ml ). the mixture heated rapidly to reflux . the solid dissolved with a vigorous heat of reaction then a precipitate formed as the reaction mixture refluxed . the reaction mixture was diluted with water . the precipitate was isolated by filtration then suspended in water ( 100 ml ). the solid was brought into solution by the addition of acetic acid . the solution was filtered to remove traces of undissolved solid . the filtrate was made basic by the addition of ammonium hydroxide . the resulting precipitate was isolated by filtration , washed with water then dried to provide 8 . 0 g of crude product as a white solid . a sample of this material was recrystallized from methanol to provide 4 - hydrazino - 1 -( 2 - methylpropyl )- 1h - imidazo [ 4 , 5 - c ] quinoline , m . p . 202 - 205 ° c . analysis : calculated for c 14 h 17 n 5 : % c , 65 . 86 ; % h , 6 . 71 ; % n , 27 . 43 ; found : % c , 65 . 20 ; % h , 6 . 6 ; % n , 27 . 5 . a solution of sodium nitrite ( 2 . 0 g , 3 mmole ) in water ( 5 ml ) was added to a solution of 4 - hydrazino - 1 -( 2 - methylpropyl )- 1h - imidazo [ 4 , 5 - c ] quinoline ( 4 . 0 g , 15 . 7 mmole , example 7 ) in a mixture of acetic acid ( 5 ml ) and water ( 50 ml ). the reaction mixture was stirred at ambient temperature for 15 minutes . a precipitate was isolated by filtration , washed with water then air dried to provide 4 . 1 g of crude product . this material was recrystallized from dichloromethane / ethanol to provide 3 . 0 g of 6 -( 2 - methylpropyl )- 6h - imidazo [ 4 , 5 - c ] tetrazolo [ 1 , 5 - a ] quinoline as a cream colored crystalline solid , m . p . 208 - 212 ° c . analysis : calculated for c 14 h 14 n 6 : % c , 63 . 14 ; % h , 5 . 30 ; % n , 31 . 56 ; found : % c , 62 . 60 ; % h , 5 . 2 ; % n , 31 . 5 . a suspension of 4 - chloro - α , α - dimethyl - 1h - imidazo [ 4 , 5 - c ] quinoline - 1 - ethanol ( 1 . 0 g , 3 . 6 mmole , u . s . pat . no . 4 , 689 , 338 example 189 part d ) in hydrazine ( 3 ml , 6 . 9 mmole ) was heated on a steam bath for 1 hour then diluted with water . the resulting precipitate was isolated by filtration . the solid was dissolved in a mixture of acetic acid ( 2 ml ) and water ( 15 ml ) then combined with a solution of sodium nitrite ( 0 . 5 g ) in water . the resulting precipitate was isolated by filtration , washed with water and dried to provide 0 . 71 g of α , α - dimethyl - 6h - imidazo [ 4 , 5 - c ] tetrazolo [ 1 , 5 - a ] quinoline - 6 - ethanol as a white solid , m . p . 246 - 247 ° c . ( shrunk at 230 ° c .). analysis : calculated for c 14 h 14 n 6 o : % c , 59 . 56 ; % h , 5 . 00 ; % n , 29 . 77 ; found : % c , 59 . 45 ; % h , 5 . 06 ; % n , 29 . 51 . 6 -( 2 - methylpropyl )- 6h - imidazo [ 4 , 5 - c ] tetrazolo [ 1 , 5 - a ] quinoline ( 0 . 2 g , 0 . 75 mmole , example 8 ), triphenylphosphine ( 0 . 4 g , 1 . 5 mmole ) and 1 , 2 - dichlorobenzene ( 5 ml ) were combined and heated at reflux overnight . the reaction mixture was concentrated under vacuum then diluted with cyclohexane ( 25 ml ). the resulting precipitate was isolated by filtration , washed with cyclohexane then dried to provide 1 -( 2 - methylpropyl )- n - triphenylphosphinyl - 1h - imidazo [ 4 , 5 - c ] quinolin - 4 - amine as a solid , m . p . 209 - 210 ° c . analysis : calculated for c 32 h 29 n 4 p : % c , 76 . 78 ; % h , 5 . 84 ; % n , 11 . 19 ; found : % c , 76 . 03 ; % h , 5 . 87 ; % n , 11 . 09 . triphenylphosphine ( 4 . 5 g , 17 . 0 mmole ) was added to a mixture of α , α - dimethyl - 6h - imidazo [ 4 , 5 - c ] tetrazolo [ 1 , 5 - a ] quinoline - 6 - ethanol ( 2 . 4 g , 8 . 5 mmole , example 9 ) and 1 , 2 - dichlorobenzene . the reaction mixture was heated at reflux for 3 hrs then concentrated under vacuum . the residue was combined with methanol ( 400 ml ) and hydrochloric acid ( 50 ml of 0 . 5n ) then heated on a steam bath for 2 hours . the resulting precipitate was isolated by filtration then washed with ether . the solid was dissolved in water and the solution was made basic with 10 % sodium hydroxide . after stirring for 30 minutes , the reaction mixture was filtered . the collected solid was rinsed with water and ether then recrystallized from n , n - dimethylformamide / ethanol to provide about 1 g of 4 - amino - α , αdimethyl - 1h - imidazo [ 4 , 5 - c ] quinoline - 1 - ethanol as a solid , m . p . 271 - 273 ° c . analysis : calculated for c 14 h 16 n 4 o : % c , 65 . 6 ; % h , 6 . 29 ; % n , 21 . 86 ; found : % c , 65 . 37 ; % h , 6 . 26 ; % n , 21 . 61 . 1 -( 2 - methylpropyl )- n - triphenylphosphinyl - 1h - imidazo [ 4 , 5 - c ] quinolin - 4 - amine ( 100 mg , example 10 ) was suspended in a mixture of methanol ( 3 ml ) and hydrochloric acid ( 10 ml of 0 . 5n ). the mixture was heated on a steam bath for 2 hours then allowed to stand at ambient temperature overnight . the reaction mixture was filtered . the filtrate was made basic with 10 % sodium hydroxide . the resulting precipitate was isolated by filtration then dried to provide 1 -( 2 - methylpropyl )- 1h - imidazo [ 4 , 5 - c ] quinolin - 4 - amine . the spectral properties of this material matched those of an authentic sample . aqueous sodium hydroxide ( 30 g of 50 %) was added to a suspension of 2 - methyl -[( 4 - nitro - 5 - tetrazolo [ 1 , 5 - a ] quinolinyl ) amino ]- 2 - propanol ( 34 . 0 g , 0 . 1125 mole , example 3 ) in water ( 500 ml ). the mixture was heated on a steam bath and the solid dissolved rapidly . the solution was heated for about 30 minutes and then upon stirring a solid began to precipitate . the mixture was made acidic with 6n hydrochloric acid . the resulting solid was isolated by filtration ; washed in succession with water , ethanol and ether ; then dried under vacuum at 100 ° c . to provide 23 . 2 g of crude product as a pale yellow / green solid . a sample ( 3 . 2 g ) was recrystallized initially from methanol / dichloromethane and then from toluene to provide 4 - nitrotetrazolo [ 1 , 5 - a ] quinolin - 5 - ol . analysis : calculated for c 9 h 5 n 5 o 3 : % c , 46 . 76 ; % h , 2 . 18 ; % n , 30 . 29 ; found : % c , 46 . 85 ; % h , 2 . 23 ; % n , 29 . 91 . triethylamine ( 0 . 6 ml , 4 . 32 mmole ) was added to a suspension of 4 - nitrotetrazolo [ 1 , 5 - a ] quinolin - 5 - ol ( 1 . 0 g , 4 . 32 mmoles , example 2 ) in dichloromethane ( 20 ml ). the reaction mixture was cooled to 0 ° c . triflic anhydride ( 0 . 73 ml , 4 . 32 mmole ) was added . the reaction mixture was stirred for 3 hours at 0 ° c . the reaction mixture was diluted with dichloromethane ( 50 ml ), washed with 0 . 5 n hydrochloric acid , dried over magnesium sulfate and concentrated under vacuum . the residue was combined with hexanes ( 100 ml ), refluxed for 15 minutes and filtered . a solid precipitated from the filtrate on cooling . the solid was isolated by filtration and dried to provide 0 . 2 g of 4 - nitrotetrazolo [ 1 , 5 - a ] quinolin - 5 - yl ] trifluoromethanesulfonate as a white solid , m . p . 132 - 134 ° c . analysis : calculated for c 10 h 14 f 3 n 5 o 5 s : % c , 33 . 07 ; % h , 1 . 11 ; % n , 19 . 28 ; found : % c , 33 . 19 ; % h , 1 . 28 ; % n , 19 . 61 . isobutylamine ( 1 ml ) was added to a solution of 4 - nitrotetrazolo [ 1 , 5 - a ] quinolin - 5 - yl ] trifluoromethanesulfonate ( 0 . 5 g , 1 . 37 mmole , example 14 ) in dichloromethane ( 50 ml ). the reaction mixture was stirred at ambient temperature for 4 hours , diluted with dichloromethane ( 50 ml ), washed with water ( 2 × 50 ml ), dried over magnesium sulfate then concentrated under vacuum . the residue was purified by filtering through a layer of silica gel eluting with 2 % methanol in dichloromethane . the resulting yellow solid was recrystallized from ethyl acetate to provide 0 . 31 g of n -( 2 - methylpropyl )- 4 - nitrotetrazolo [ 1 , 5 - a ] quinolin - 5 - amine , m . p . 152 - 154 ° c . analysis : calculated for c 13 h 14 n 6 o 2 : % c , 54 . 54 ; % h , 4 . 93 ; % n , 29 . 35 ; found : % c , 54 . 45 ; % h , 4 . 73 ; % n , 29 . 47 . n -( 2 - methylpropyl )- 4 - nitrotetrazolo [ 1 , 5 - a ] quinolin - 5 - amine ( 1 . 0 g , 3 . 5 mmole , example 15 ), ethanol ( 100 ml ) and pt / c were placed in a paar apparatus . the mixture was hydrogenated at 50 psi ( 3 . 44 × 10 5 pa ). the reaction mixture was filtered to remove the catalyst then concentrated under vacuum . the residue was recrystallized from ethyl acetate to provide 0 . 35 g of n 5 -( 2 - methylpropyl ) tetrazolo [ 1 , 5 - a ] quinoline - 4 , 5 - diamine as off white needles , m . p . 148 - 150 ° c . analysis : calculated for c 13 h 16 n 6 : % c , 60 . 92 ; % h , 6 . 29 ; % n , 32 . 79 ; found : % c , 60 . 94 ; % h , 6 . 25 ; % n , 32 . 93 . n 5 -( 2 - methylpropyl ) tetrazolo [ 1 , 5 - a ] quinoline - 4 , 5 - diamine ( 0 . 2 g , 0 . 78 mmole , example 16 ) was combined with diethoxymethyl acetate ( 2 ml ) and heated on a steam bath for 3 hours . water ( 10 ml ) and 10 % sodium hydroxide ( 2 ml ) were added and the reaction mixture was heated on a steam bath for 1 hour . a solid was isolated by filtration then recrystallized from methanol / ethyl acetate to provide 0 . 16 g of 6 -( 2 - methylpropyl )- 6h - imidazo [ 4 , 5 - c ] tetrazolo [ 1 , 5 - a ] quinoline as a white crystalline solid , m . p . 210 - 212 ° c . analysis : calculated for c 14 h 14 n 6 : % c , 63 . 14 ; % h , 5 . 30 ; % n , 31 . 56 ; found : % c , 63 . 12 ; % h , 5 . 32 ; % n , 31 . 61 . triethylamine ( 6 ml ), 4 - nitrotetrazolo [ 1 , 5 - a ] quinolin - 5 - ol ( 8 . 7 g , 37 . 6 mmole , example 13 ) and dichloromethane ( 100 ml ) were combined and stirred at ambient temperature until a solution was obtained . the solution was cooled to - 15 ° c . triflic anhydride ( 6 . 5 ml ) was added in portions to the cooled solution . the reaction mixture was allowed to warm to ambient temperature then filtered through a layer of silica gel . the filtrate was washed with cold dilute hydrochloric acid then dried over magnesium sulfate . triethylamine ( 5 . 25 ml ) was added to the dichloromethane solution and the resulting mixture was stirred for about 10 minutes . tert - butylamine ( 4 . 2 ml ) was added dropwise to the reaction mixture . the reaction mixture was heated on a steam bath for about 15 minutes . the resulting solid was isolated by filtration then purified by silica gel chromatography to provide the crude product as a yellow solid . this material was recrystallized from ethanol / water to provide 5 g of n -( 1 , 1 - dimethylethyl )- 4 - nitrotetrazolo [ 1 , 5 - a ] quinolin - 5 - amine . the structure was confirmed by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy . n -( 1 , 1 - dimethylethyl )- 4 - nitrotetrazolo [ 1 , 5 - a ] quinolin - 5 - amine ( 4 . 2 g , example 18 ), ethanol ( 100 ml ) and pt / c ( 0 . 5 g ) were placed in a paar apparatus . the mixture was hydrogenated . the reaction mixture was filtered to remove catalyst then concentrated to dryness under vacuum . the residue was recrystallized from ethyl acetate / dichloromethane to provide n 5 -( 1 , 1 - dimethylethyl ) tetrazolo [ 1 , 5 - a ] quinoline - 4 , 5 - diamine as a pale blue crystalline solid . diethoxymethyl acetate ( 1 . 9 ml ) was added dropwise to a solution of n 5 -( 1 , 1 - dimethylethyl ) tetrazolo [ 1 , 5 - a ] quinoline - 4 , 5 - diamine ( 1 . 5 g , 5 . 9 mmole , example 19 ) in acetic acid ( 15 ml ). the reaction mixture was heated on a steam bath for 1 hour then made basic with sodium hydroxide . the resulting precipitate was isolated by filtration then recrystallized from ethanol to provide 6 -( 1 , 1 - dimethylethyl )- 6h - imidazo [ 4 , 5 - c ] tetrazolo [ 1 , 5 - a ] quinoline , m . p . 224 - 226 ° c . analysis : calculated for c 14 h 14 n 6 : % c , 63 . 13 ; % h , 5 . 29 ; % n , 31 . 56 ; found : % c , 62 . 90 ; % h , 5 . 44 ; % n , 31 . 52 . 6 -( 1 , 1 - dimethylethyl )- 6h - imidazo [ 4 , 5 - c ] tetrazolo [ 1 , 5 - a ] quinoline ( 1 g , 3 . 8 mmole , example 20 ) was added to hydrochloric acid ( 5 ml of 6n ); water ( 20 ml ) was added and the mixture was heated on a steam bath for 1 hour . the reaction mixture was allowed to cool to ambient temperature then made basic ( ph 11 ) by the addition of sodium hydroxide solution . the resulting precipitate was isolated by filtration , dried then recrystallized from n , n - dimethylformamide to provide 0 . 65 g of the desired product as a solid . a sample of this material was refluxed in a large amount of dichloromethane / methanol , isolated by filtration , then dried to provide 6h - imidazo [ 4 , 5 - c ] tetrazolo [ 1 , 5 - a ] quinoline as a solid , m . p . & gt ; 300 ° c . analysis : calculated for c 10 h 6 n 6 : % c , 57 . 14 ; % h , 2 . 88 ; % n , 39 . 98 ; found : % c , 56 . 89 ; % h , 3 . 10 ; % n 39 . 34 . the structure was confirmed by both mass spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy .
| 2 |
the device shown in the drawing and globally denoted 1 chiefly comprises a bottle 2 open at its two ends , a stopper 3 placed at one end of the bottle 2 , and a cap 4 mounted on the other end of this bottle 2 . the bottle 2 has a central body 5 , preferably made in a transparent material . at one end , the bottle 2 has a first circular opening 6 . this end can be provided with a thread 7 ( if the stopper 3 is a screw - on stopper ). at its other end , also open , the bottle 2 can be provided with an outer thread 8 ( if the cap is a screw - on cap ). with more particular reference to fig2 and 3 , the stopper 3 has an outer skirt 9 provided with an inner thread cooperating with the outer thread 7 of the bottle 2 . the stopper 3 also has a central part 10 in the form of a jar which is engaged in the circular opening 6 of the bottle and which delimits a cavity 11 . a part 12 of general cylindrical appearance caps the stopper 3 and also engages , via its projecting central part 13 , into the cavity 11 delimited by the central part 10 of said stopper 3 . a ring - shaped seal 14 is inserted between the top of the stopper 3 and the central part 13 of part 12 . a tamperproof tab 15 is provided at the base of part 12 , around the lower region of the outer skirt 9 of the stopper 3 . the initial presence of the tamperproof tab 15 holds the central part 13 of part 12 distant from the bottom 16 of the cavity 11 . this cavity 11 is provided to receive one of the two products ( liquid or solid ) to be mixed , whilst the central body 5 of the bottle 2 is provided to receive the other product ( liquid or solid ). as will be understood , the two products remain well separated from one another for as long as the bottom 16 of the cavity 11 remains in place . at its other end , in the illustrated example , the bottle 2 receives a section reducer 17 , added and welded , that delimits a central orifice 18 of circular shape . the diameter of the central orifice 18 corresponds to the diameter of a dosing syringe 19 , known per se . the cap 4 initially caps the reducer 17 on which it is mounted ( thread 8 ). at the time of use , the tamperproof tab 15 is torn off ( fig4 ) and part 12 which is released axially over a certain distance is pressed down ( fig5 ) so as to open the bottom 16 of the cavity 11 . the product initially contained in this cavity 11 then falls into the central body 5 of the bottle 2 where it mixes with the product already contained in said central body 5 . the mixture of the two products is made homogeneous by shaking the device . the device is then upturned and the cap 4 is removed , as shown fig6 . the dosing syringe 19 is next inserted in the orifice 18 and used to withdraw a determined quantity of the formed extemporaneous preparation ( fig7 ). after dosing , the syringe 19 is withdrawn ( fig8 ) and used to administer the medicinal product . finally , the cap 4 is put back in place , at least if the device is not empty . the device described above is particularly well suited for extemporaneous preparations of liquid medicinal products made from two liquid products or from a solid and a liquid , the term & lt ;& lt ; liquid & gt ;& gt ; designating aqueous products as well as oil products or gels . these may be preparations for oral or intravenous use . this device can also be used to prepare food supplements , or for any other similar preparations which require the separate storage of two products of which at least one is liquid , followed by the mixing of these products and dispensing of the formed mixture with or without precise dosing . therefore the use comprising a dosing syringe and a section reducer adapted for said syringe is in no way compulsory , and it can just as well be envisaged that the second end of the bottle does not contain a section reducer and receives a teat or is directly brought to the mouth for drinking or swallowing the content , any form of withdrawal of this content possibly being envisaged . the invention , as follows from the foregoing , is evidently not limited to the sole embodiment of this device for packaging two products to be mixed and for dispensing the mixture of these products , as described above by way of example ; on the contrary it encompasses all variants of embodiment and application which follow the same principle . therefore , it would notably lie within the scope of the invention if modifications were made to details of shapes and to the assemblies of the components of the device , for example by modifying the volume of the bottle , by replacing the screw - on cap by a press - fit cap or by arrangements such as adding or eliminating seals between these components or through the use of accessories or additional accessories intended to facilitate the use of the device ; it can therefore be envisaged for example to adapt onto the stopper or the bottle itself an & lt ;& lt ; intelligent label & gt ;& gt ; which forms a type of visual alarm allowing measurement of the time elapsed since the contacting of the two liquids or of the liquid with the solid .
| 0 |
the composition of the adhesive : 30 - 50 m / m % of an unsaturated polyester resin and / or vinyl - ester resin ; 1 - 10 m / m % of a ( meth ) acryl - acid - ester monomer ; 1 - 5 m / m % of a thixatropic additive ; 30 - 50 m / m % of aluminum - hydroxide and / or a caco 3 powder and / or talcum or any kind of mixture of these elements ; 1 - 5 m / m % of diacil - peroxide , keton - peroxide , kumol - hydro - peroxide or any kind of mixture of these elements ; 0 . 1 - 1 m / m % of n , n - di - methyl - aniline and / or 0 . 1 - 1 m / m % of n , n - diethyl - aniline ; 1 - 5 m / m % of a 1 % solution of cobalt - naftenate ; 1 - 5 m / m % of a solution of 1 - 5 m / m % vanadium - naphthenate ; 0 . 5 - 1 m / m % of acetyl - acetone . the matrix - material used to produce the prepreg includes : 25 - 40 m / m % of unsaturated orto - and / or isophthalic polyester resin in styrol ; 35 m / m % and / or novolac - epoxy vinyl - ester resin or any mixture of these materials ; 5 - 10 m / m % of mgo , and / or zno , and / or bao and / or cao ; 1 - 5 m / m % of a thermoplastic polymer ; cellulose - aceto - butyrate and / or cellulose - acetate ; 3 - 10 m / m % of poly - ε - caprolacton ; 30 - 50 m / m % of a filling material : any kind of mixture of aluminum - hydroxide , caco 3 powder , talcum , quartz powder ; 0 . 5 - 3 m / m % of an initiator : percarbonate , dibenzoil - peroxide , t - butyl - perbenzoate , acetyl - acetone - peroxide , diketal , organic hydroperoxide or any kind of mixture of these substances . the enlisted materials are mixed together and homogenized to gain the resin matrix - structure . one part of the gained substance is introduced on a polyethylene ( pet ) foil . the selected one way orientated enforcing material is placed in the foil as well , embedding it in the matrix - material on both sides . the embedded enforcing material is then once again placed in another foil . then , the material passes through a specially projected machine formed by rolls with a variable distance between them . the distance between the rolls is set previously according to the desired thickness . the prepreg material obtained in this way is packed in aluminum foil and kept at a constant 5 - 15 ° c . temperature till usage . bands of optional width and length can be attained using this procedure . the width of the bands is given by the geometry of the glass - fiber used as the strengthening material . the prepared prepreg strengthening material &# 39 ; s composure can be 50 - 60 m / m % of a glass - fiber based 0 . 2 - 1 . 3 m wide material . it looks like a textile , it is sold in rolls . parallel bands of glass - fiber wires run along its longitudinal axis ( 10 - 50 m ), which are loosely bonded together with a so called glass - duvet . when preparing the enforcing band , the pipe has to be perfectly clean to the metal , leaving no grease on it . then , the pre - made and already described adhesive substance is applied in a thin layer on the perfectly clean surface of the pipe covering the irregularities . the pre - made prepreg is carefully cleaned of the aluminum foils and placed leveling it evenly on the layer of adhesive . a roller is used with low pressure to secure the connection between the adhesive and the prepreg material . the upper layer of the prepreg is once again adhered and covered with another layer of prepreg . this procedure is repeated until there are as many layers as planned . the upper layer of the band is covered with a pet foil . the minimum number of layers used for optimal enforcement is 5 , but usually 8 layers are used . heat patrons ( resistance - heating or inductive - heating ) are used on the upper layer of the band to enhance the hardening process . these heat patrons are inductive or resistive . if these patrons are used , a 1 mm thick steel plate is placed circularly over the surface of the band . the heat patrons having a total of 5 kw of heat output are put on this steel plate to ensure even distribution of the heat . in case of external warming , the objects connected to the band ( heat patrons ) can &# 39 ; t reach a temperature higher then 130 ° c . a thermometer ( thermo pair ) is placed in the lowest layer and one in the top layer to control the inner heat - relations . a thermo battery is placed into the top and lowest layer as well . the prepreg material can be formed as the user wants it , it can repair and cover the irregularities as well . the prepreg material can be solidified even if connected to a low temperature object ( 0 ° c .). the invention is able to be used in case of large , open - air located objects . some examples will be explained to demonstrate the competency of the invention in use ( mostly in case of enhancement of pipe durability ). table no . 1 represents the results of a series of experiments : the changing of the solidifying circumstances of the prepreg based composite band . the columns of the table show the composure of the bands and the main parameters of the solidifying prepreg adhesive . the main parameters are : temperature of the pipe &# 39 ; s wall ( with the lowest temperature on which the band perfectly solidifies under the specified time ), and the comparative data refers to the temperature of the heat patron ( 130 ° c . in every experiment ). the composition of the 100 kg prepreg matrix material base mixture ( m ): 25 - 40 m / m % of an unsaturated polyester resin and / or novolac - epoxy based vinyl - ester resin ( der 8084 ) ( or any kind of mixture of these two substances ) solution ( 35 m / m % in styrol ) synthesized from o - phtale acid ethylene - glycol - propylene - glycol - mallein - acid - anhidrid or i - phtale acid neo - pentyle - glycol - propylene - glycot - mallein - acid - anhidrid 1 : 1 mixture ; 5 - 10 m / m % of mgo and / or zno and / or bao and / or cao ; 1 - 5 m / m % of a thermoplastic polymer : cellulose - aceto - butyrate and / or cellulose acetate ; 30 - 50 m / m % of a filling material : any mixture of aluminum - hydroxide , caco 3 powder , talcum and quartz powder . different types of polymer initiators and different quantities of poly - ε - caprolacton were added to this unsaturated polyester resin based matrix material ( base mixture of the matrix material : m ). the composition of the 100 kg adhesive base mixture ( r ): 30 - 50 m / m % of an unsaturated polyester resin and / or vinyl - ester resin ( der 8084 ); 1 - 5 m / m % of a thixatropic additive ( active silica based ex . aerosil r202 ); 30 - 50 m / m % of aluminum - hydroxide , caco 3 powder and / or talcum . depending on the composition of the initiator - activator systems used to start the networking , there will be added in different quantities active ( methacrylate ) monomers and acetyl - acetone to the adhesive base mixture ( r ). column 3 presents the circumstances in case of example 3 , showing the effects of the added substances ( mma monomer , poly - ε - caprolacton , respectively acetyl - acetone ) as the examples show . columns 4 to 5 present the diffusion efficiency of the cobalt activator substance and / or of an activator containing vanadium - naphtenate in the presence of mma monomer poly - ε - caprolacton . aluminum - hydroxide ( ath ), talcum , quartz powder , caco 3 powder and dolomite powder were evenly used during the assembling of the samples , in case of both the prepreg matrix material and the adhesive . the added materials &# 39 ; effect on the networking of the material system isn &# 39 ; t influenced by the choice of the unsaturated polyester resins , respectively vinyl - ester resin &# 39 ; s type ( o - phtal acid , i - phtal acid polyester resin , bis - phenol - a - or novolac - epoxy based vinyl - ester resin ). this issue is dealt with in example 4 . to create the adhesive are mixed together 100 kg of a very flexible vinyl - ester resin ( der 8084 ), 10 kg of a methyl - methacrylate ( mma ) monomer , 3 kg of a thixatropic substance ( active silica based , for ex . aerosil r202 ), 100 kg of aluminum - hydroxide ( ath ), 2 kg of diacyle - peroxide and 2 kg of an n , n - di - methyl - aniline activator ( 10 m / m % solution ). right before working with the band , 2 kg of a cobalt - naphtenate solution ( 1 m / m %) has to be added to the material of the adhesive , to ensure that the peroxide initiator added to the matrix - material will activate at low temperature as well . the adhesive mixed in this way will be viscously fluid for 30 minutes at normal temperature , and reaches the gelling point after a maximum of 60 minutes . this material is supposed to ensure the cohesion of the metal and the band in between the layer &# 39 ; s of the composite material , filling the irregularities of the surface . the substances needed to create the prepreg resin &# 39 ; s matrix - material are added one by one and homogenized as they are added . in this case the substances are : 100 kg of an unsaturated polyester resin solution ( 35 m / m % in styrol ) gained from synthesizing o - phtale acid ethylene - glycol - propylene - glycol - mallein - acid - anhydrid at a rate of 1 : 1 ; 3 kg of mgo ( magnesium - oxide ); 5 kg of a thermoplastic polymer ( aca — cellulose - acetate ); 5 kg of poly - ε - caprolacton , 100 kg of talcum ; 2 kg of an initiator ( 0 . 5 kg per - carbonate , 1 . 5 kg t - butyl - per - benzoate ). the enforcing material used in the prepreg is a textile - like material , sold in rolls , 0 . 2 - 1 . 3 m wide , having parallel bands of glass - fiber wires running along its longitudinal axis ( 10 - 50 m ), which are loosely bonded together with a so called glass - duvet . part of the ready resin - matrix material is placed on a pet foil . a corresponding sized part ( 0 . 3 × 4 m in this case ) of the unidirectional orientated , glass - fiber based enforcing material is then introduced in the foil and soaked well with the resin - matrix ( both sides of the material ). the soaked glass - fiber is then “ ironed ” between two vulcanite rolls . the distance between the two rolls is known and pre - set . the prepreg made this way can be stored without losing properties for 30 days in normal temperature , or 90 days if the temperature doesn &# 39 ; t reach 20 ° c . a day after its production , however , it is perfectly usable . the pet foil can be taken off its surface — which isn &# 39 ; t sticky after a day . any sized composite prepreg bands can be produced this way . the width of the prepreg is induced by the geometry of the glass - fiber . the product is stored in aluminum foil at 5 - 15 ° c . till usage . the pipe has to be perfectly clean , to the metal , leaving no grease on it . then , the pre - made and already described adhesive substance is applied in a thin layer on the perfectly clean surface of the pipe covering the irregularities . the pre - made prepreg is carefully cleaned of the aluminum foils and placed leveling it evenly on the layer of adhesive . a roller is used with low pressure to secure the connection between the adhesive and the prepreg material . the upper layer of the prepreg is once again adhered and covered with another layer of prepreg . this procedure is repeated until there are as many layers as planned . the upper layer of the band is covered with the already used pet foil . the minimum number of layers used for optimal enforcement is 5 , but usually 8 layers are used . in this example , a 4 m long prepreg is produced . the full weight of the band is 4 . 12 kg , the glass - fiber having 1 . 72 kg . the weight of the adhesive needed is 0 . 85 kg . the band was used to create an 8 - layer band on a 150 mm steel pipe &# 39 ; s surface . heat patrons are used on the upper layer of the band to enhance the hardening process . these heat patrons are inductive or resistive . if these patrons are used , a 1 mm thick steel plate is placed circularly on the surface of the band . the heat patrons having a total of 5 kw of heat output are put on this steel plate to ensure even distribution of the heat . a thermometer ( thermo par ) is placed in the layer closest to the pipe and one in the top layer to control the inner heat - relations . during the experiment , the pipe &# 39 ; s wall was at 0 ° c . the upper layer of the prepreg reached 130 ° c . in 20 minutes . during this the inner layer remained at 0 ° c . heating continued for 60 minutes more , controlling the upper layer &# 39 ; s by stabilization . during this time the entire band solidified . thus , having a cobalt activator in the composition of the adhesive has a benefic effect in the chemical reactions taking place in the prepreg , if it contains an mma monomer and / or poly - ε - caprolacton . these substances help the activator to get through by diffusion from the adhesive to the matrix - material of the prepreg , and start the discomposure of the initiator ( per - carbonate , per - benzoate add mixture ). in this way , the band and the adhesive reticulate simultaneously , the composite band solidifying completely ( table column 1 ). the production of the prepreg matrix - material is similar to the production in the first example : 100 kg of an unsaturated polyester resin solution ( 35 m / m % in sterol ) gained from synthesizing o - phtale acid ethylene - glycol - propylene - glycol - mallein - acid - anhydrid at a rate of 1 : 1 ; 3 kg of mgo ( magnesium - oxide ); 5 kg of a thermoplastic polymer ( aca — cellulose - acetate ); 10 kg of poly - ε - caprolacton , 100 kg of talcum ; 2 kg of an initiator ( 0 . 5 kg per - carbonate , 1 . 5 kg t - butyl - per - benzoate ). the substances needed to create the prepreg resin &# 39 ; s matrix - material are added one by one and homogenized as they are added . part of the ready resin - matrix material is placed on a pet foil . a corresponding sized part ( 0 . 3 × 4 m in this case ) of the unidirectional orientated , glass - fiber based enforcing material is then introduced in the foil and soaked with the resin - matrix ( both sides of the material ). the soaked glass - fiber is then “ ironed ” between two vulcanite rolls . the distance between the two rolls is known and pre - set . to create the adhesive , 100 kg of a very flexible vinyl - ester resin , 10 kg of a methyl - methacrylate ( mma ) monomer , 3 kg of a thixatropic substance ( active silica based , for ex . aerosil r202 ), 100 kg of aluminum - hydroxide ( ath ) and 2 kg of diacyle - peroxide , 2 kg of an alkyl - aroma - amine ( dma ) solution ( 10 m / m %) is also used as an activator . right before working with the band , 2 kg of a cobalt - naphtenate solution ( 1 m / m %) has to be added to the material of the adhesive , to ensure that the peroxide initiator added to the matrix - material will activate at low temperature as well . the adhesive mixed in this way will be viscously fluid for 30 minutes at normal temperature , and reaches the gelling point after a maximum of 60 minutes . in this example , a 4 m long prepreg is produced . the fall weight of the band is 4 . 12 kg , the glass - fiber having 1 . 72 kg . the weight of the adhesive needed is 0 . 85 kg . the band was used to create an 8 - layer band on a 150 mm steel pipe &# 39 ; s surface . water has been transported in the pipe ; the water &# 39 ; s temperature : 0 ° c . the pipe &# 39 ; s wall was also at 0 ° c . a thermometer ( thermo par ) is placed in the layer closest to the pipe and one in the top layer to follow the inner heat - relations . the upper layer of the prepreg reached 130 ° c . in 20 minutes . during this the inner layer remained at 0 ° c . heating continued for 90 minutes more , controlling the upper layer &# 39 ; s temperature by stabilization . during this time the entire band solidified . the experiments confirm that the cobalt activator has a pronounced effect on the chemical reactions in the prepreg . this surprising effect can only be explained with the transferring by diffusion of the cobalt mixture from the adhesive to the matrix - material . this transfer is aided by the poly - ε - caprolacton ( table column 2 ). the production of the prepreg matrix - material is similar to the production in the first example : 100 kg of an unsaturated polyester resin solution ( 35 m / m % in sterol ) gained from synthesizing o - phtale acid ethylene - glycol - propylene - glycol - mallein - acid - anhydrid at a rate of 1 : 1 ; 3 kg of mgo ( magnesium - oxide ); 5 kg of a thermoplastic polymer ( cab — cellulose - aceto - butyrate ); 100 kg of talcum ; 2 kg of an initiator ( 0 . 5 kg per - carbonate , 1 . 5 kg t - butyl - per - benzoate ). the substances needed to create the prepreg resin &# 39 ; s matrix - material are added one by one and homogenized as they are added . part of the ready resin - matrix material is placed on a pet foil . a corresponding sized part ( 0 . 3 × 4 m in this case ) of the unidirectional orientated , glass - fiber based enforcing material is then introduced in the foil and soaked well with the resin - matrix ( both sides of the material ). the soaked glass - fiber is then “ ironed ” between two vulcanite rolls . the distance between the two rolls is known and pre - set . 24 hours after the pre - preg &# 39 ; s production , it is usable and the prepreg can be stored for 30 days in normal temperature , or 90 days if the temperature doesn &# 39 ; t reach 20 ° c . to create the adhesive , 100 kg of a very flexible vinyl - ester resin , 5 kg of a methyl - methacrylate ( mma ) monomer , 3 kg of a thixatropic substance ( active silica based , for ex . aerosil r202 ), 100 kg of aluminum - hydroxide ( ath ) and 2 kg of diacyle - peroxide , 2 kg of an allyl - aroma - amine ( dma ) solution ( 10 m / m %) is also used as an activator . 2 kg of a cobalt - naphtenate solution ( 1 m / m %) and 0 . 5 kg of acetyl - acetone has to be added to the material of the adhesive , to ensure that the peroxide initiator added to the matrix - material will activate at low temperature as well . the adhesive mixed in tis way will be viscously fluid for 30 minutes at normal temperature , and reaches the gelling point after a maximum of 60 minutes . in this example , a 4 m long prepreg is produced . the full weight of the band is 4 . 08 kg , the glass - fiber having 1 . 70 kg . the weight of the adhesive needed is 0 . 80 kg . the band was used to create an 8 - layer band on a 150 mm steel pipe &# 39 ; s surface . water has been transported in the pipe ; the water &# 39 ; s temperature : 0 ° c . the pipe &# 39 ; s wall was also at 0 ° c . a thermometer ( thermo par ) is placed in the layer closest to the pipe and one in the top layer to follow the inner heat - relations . the upper layer of the prepreg reached 130 ° c . in 20 minutes . during this the inner layer remained at 0 ° c . heating continued for 60 minutes more , controlling the upper layer &# 39 ; s temperature by stabilization . during this time the entire band solidified . the experiments confirm that the cobalt activator has a pronounced effect on the chemical reactions in the prepreg . this surprising effect can only be explained with the transferring by diffusion of the cobalt mixture from the adhesive to the matrix - material . this transfer is aided by the acetyl - acetone ( table column 3 ). the substances needed to create the prepreg resin &# 39 ; s matrix - material are added one by one and homogenized as they are added . in this case , the substances are : 100 kg of an unsaturated polyester resin solution ( 35 m / m % in sterol ) gained from synthesizing o - phtale acid ethylene - glycol - propylene - glycol - mallein - acid - anhydrid at a rate of 1 : 1 ; 3 kg of mgo ( magnesium - oxide ); 5 kg of a thermoplastic polymer ( pvac — polyvinyl - acetate ); 3 kg of poly - ε - caprolacton , 100 kg of ath ; 2 kg of an initiator with high decomposition temperature per - benzoate ). part of the ready resin - matrix material is placed on a pet foil . a corresponding sized part ( 0 . 3 × 4 m in this case ) of the unidirectional orientated , glass - fiber based enforcing material is then introduced in the foil and soaked well with the resin - matrix ( both sides of the material ). the soaked glass - fiber is then “ ironed ” between two vulcanite rolls . the distance between the two rolls is known and pre - set . 24 hours after the prepreg &# 39 ; s production , it is usable and the prepreg can be stored without losing properties for 30 days in normal temperature , or 90 days if the temperature doesn &# 39 ; t reach 20 ° c . to create the adhesive , 100 kg of a bis - phenol vinyl - ester resin , 10 kg of a methyl - methacrylate ( mma ) monomer , 5 kg of a thixatropic substance ( active silica based , for ex . aerosil r202 ), 50 kg of aluminum - hydroxide ( ath ); 50 kg of talcum and 1 kg of cobalt - naphtenate ( 1 % of co ) is used as an activator . to ensure the solidifying of the adhesive , initiators are used : 2 kg of cumol - hydro - peroxide and 1 kg of kethone - peroxide . the adhesive mixed in this way will be viscously fluid for 30 minutes at normal temperature ( 23 ± 2 ° c . ), and reaches the gelling point after 60 minutes . in this example , a 4 m long prepreg is produced . the full weight of the band is 4 . 10 kg , the glass - fiber having 1 . 70 kg . the weight of the adhesive needed is 0 . 80 kg . the band was used to create an 8 - layer band on a 150 mm steel pipe &# 39 ; s surface . water has been transported in the pipe ; the water &# 39 ; s temperature : 0 ° c . the pipe &# 39 ; s wall was also at 0 ° c . a thermometer ( thermo par ) is placed in the layer closest to the pipe and one in the top layer to continuously follow the inner heat - relations . the upper layer of the prepreg reached 130 ° c . in 20 minutes . during this the inner layer remained at 0 ° c . heating continued for 60 minutes more , controlling the upper layer &# 39 ; s temperature by stabilization . during this time the entire band solidified . these experiments show that the cobalt activator has a pronounced effect on the chemical reactions in the prepreg having different composition compared to the prepreg in the first three experiments . this surprising effect can only be explained with the transferring by diffusion of the cobalt mixture from the adhesive to the matrix - material . this transfer is aided by the mma monomer mixed into the adhesive , although its aiding effect isn &# 39 ; t as powerful as in the cases previously described . the prepreg adhesive material system containing unsaturated polyester / vinyl - ester resin matrix - materials ( composite band ) can be fully solidified even if it connects to low temperature ( 0 ° c .) surfaces . this is done by adding peroxides to the prepreg &# 39 ; s material . the activators that decompose the peroxides are transferred by diffusion between the two different matrixes , and once inside the prepreg they initiate the networking of the polyester / vinyl - ester resin . the diffusion ( and the hardening of the prepreg ) is very much enhanced by several substances ( the poly - ε - caprolacton in the prepreg ; methacryl - acid - ester monomers and acetyl - acetone in the adhesive ). the choice of cobalt - naphtenate or vanadium - naphtenate doesn &# 39 ; t influence the process . matrix material based mixture ( m ) 100 kg unsaturated poliester resin obtained from o - phtalic acid and ethylene glycol - propylene glycol - mallein acid anhydride ( ratio : 1 : 1 ) in 35 weight % styrol , 3 kg mgo ( magnesia ), 5 kg thermoplastics polymer ( aca - acetylcellulose ), 100 kg filling material adhesive based mixture ( r ) 100 kg vinyl ester resin , 3 kg tixotropic thixatropic additive , 100 kg filling material
| 2 |
although entirely independent of any particular mechanism , the present invention was conceived following the unexpected discovery by the present inventors that the native tace protein undergoes autoproteolysis at the high protein concentrations required for x - ray crystallographic analysis . the subsequent identification by the inventors of an autoproteolysis site between y 352 - v 353 of seq id no : 2 , raised the possibility that the replacement of either one or both of these amino acid residues might lead to a tace protein that was resistant to autoproteolysis . insertion ( s ) or deletion ( s ) of amino acid residues adjacent to the y 352 - v 353 cleavage site might also lead to a tace polypeptide that is resistant to autoproteolyisis . however , inserting or deleting amino acid residues adjacent to the y 352 - v 353 cleavage site could create conformational changes in the protein that significantly reduce its enzyme activity and / or stability . similarly , since tyr352 of seq id no : 2 is located within a hydrophobic pocket that is close to the active site of the tace protease , modification of this amino acid residue also might effect the enzymatic activity and / or protein stability . in direct contrast , val353 of seq id no : 2 is located on the enzyme surface with its side chain exposed to the solvent , and so modification of the valine side chain might be less traumatic to the enzyme structure . therefore , modification of val353 is preferred over either modifying tyr352 , or inserting or deleting amino acid residues adjacent to the y 352 - v 353 cleavage site . these latter two alternatives , however , remain part of the present invention . indeed , as disclosed herein , substitution of the hydrophobic valine side chain with either serine or glycine significantly reduces autoproteolysis , and dramatically improved the stability of the protein , without significantly altering the proteolytic activity of the tace enzyme . in a preferred embodiment , the modified tace catalytic domain contains an amino acid change at amino acid residue 353 of seq id no : 2 . in one such embodiment , val353 is replaced with a glycyl residue . in another embodiment , val353 is replaced with a seryl residue . substitutions of the nonpolar side chain of valine with alternative non - hydrophobic side chains can also prevent auto - proteolysis , and such substitutions are also part of the present invention . in addition , in order to remove n - glycosylation sites it is preferable as exemplified below , that ser266 be replaced e . g ., with an alanyl residue , and asp452 be replaced e . g ., with a glutaminyl residue . the present invention further provides crystals comprising a protein - ligand complex of a polypeptide that comprises a modified tace catalytic domain . the three - dimensional structure of a protein - ligand complex comprising a modified tace catalytic domain bound to n -{ 3 -( hydroxyaminocarbonyl )- 1 - oxo -( 2r )- benzylpropyl }- ile - leu - oh is provided in the example below ( see table 3 which lists the atomic coordinates ). n -{ 3 -( hydroxyaminocarbonyl )- 1 - oxo -( 2r )- benzylpropyl }- ile - leu - oh which is commercially available , e . g ., from chem - impex international , wood dale ii , ( product code 09538 ), has the following chemical structure : structure based rational drug design is the most efficient method of drug development . in one common paradigm , a three dimensional structure of a protein - ligand complex is determined , and potential antagonists ( e . g ., inhibitors ) of the protein ( e . g ., potential drugs ) are identified and / or designed with the aid of computer modeling [ bugg et al ., scientific american , dec . : 92 - 98 ( 1993 ); west et al ., tips , 16 : 67 - 74 ( 1995 ); dunbrack et al ., folding & amp ; design , 2 : 27 - 42 ( 1997 )]. the drug candidates are selected and assayed . the most promising drug candidates are identified , and then incubated in excess with crystals of a protein - ligand complex to replace the initial ligand . the three - dimensional structure of the new protein - ligand complex is then determined , and new potential antagonists . of the protein are identified and / or designed with the aid of computer modeling . this process can then be continued in successive iterations until a lead drug candidate is identified . heretofore , the ability to perform structure based rational drug design with tace was severely hampered because only two tace protein - ligands complexes were known to form an x - ray quality crystal , [ maskos et . al ., proc . natl . acad . sci . usa 95 : 3408 - 3412 ( 1998 ); letavic et al ., biorgan . & amp ; medic . chem lett . 12 : 1387 - 1390 ( 2002 )], and these crystals were not reported to be capable of ligand exchange . as disclosed herein , the present invention overcomes this problem by providing crystals of the modified tace catalytic domain that are conducive to ligand exchange . as used herein the following terms shall have the definitions set out below : as used herein the term “ polypeptide ” is used interchangeably with the term “ protein ” and is further meant to encompass peptides . therefore , as used herein , a polypeptide is a polymer of two or more amino acids joined together by peptide linkages . preferably , a polypeptide is a polymer comprising twenty or more amino acid residues joined together by peptide linkages . as used herein a polypeptide “ consisting essentially of ” or that “ consists essentially of ” a specified amino acid sequence is a polypeptide that ( i ) retains the general characteristics of a polypeptide comprising that amino acid sequence , e . g ., the activity of the polypeptide , and ( ii ) further comprises the identical amino acid sequence , except it consists of plus or minus 10 % ( or a lower percentage ), preferably plus or minus 5 % ( or a lower percentage ), and more preferably plus or minus 2 . 5 % ( or a lower percentage ) of the amino acid residues . as used herein a “ modified tace catalytic domain ” is a tace catalytic domain that has been modified to resist and / or prevent autocatalysis . preferably , at least one of the two critical amino acid residues at the autoproteolytic site of tace , i . e ., tyr352 and val353 of seq id no : 2 , has been replaced . more preferably , a modified tace catalytic domain has the val353 residue replaced with a non - hydrophobic amino acid residue . as used herein a “ non - hydrophobic amino acid ” is an amino acid that is not hydrophobic . the genus of non - hydrophobic amino acids specifically does not include leucine , isoleucine , valine , methionine , tryptophan , and phenylalanine . as used herein a “ polypeptide comprising a modified tace catalytic domain ”, can be ( i ) the full length tace protein , ( ii ) a fragment of the tace protein that includes the modified tace catalytic domain e . g ., the pro and catalytic domain , ( iii ) the modified tace catalytic domain alone , or ( iv ) a chimeric protein which comprises any of the above . as used herein a “ proteolytic polypeptide ” of the present invention is a polypeptide that is capable of catalyzing the proteolytic cleavage of a substrate of the native tace protease . a proteolytic polypeptide of the present invention minimally comprises an active fragment of the tace catalytic domain that retains proteolytic activity . a proteolytic polypeptide of the present invention can be a chimeric protein . as used herein an “ active fragment ” of the catalytic domain of tace is a fragment of the catalytic domain of tace and / or modified tace catalytic domain that retains at least about 10 %, preferably at least about 20 %, and more preferably at least about 25 % of the proteolytic activity of the full - length tace protease . preferably , the active fragment retains at least about 25 %, more preferably at least about 50 %, and even more preferably at least about 75 % of the amino acid residues of the catalytic domain of tace having the amino acid sequence of seq id no : 6 . more preferably , the amino acid sequence of the active fragment of the tace catalytic domain has at least about 95 % identity to the corresponding amino acid residues of seq id no : 6 . as used herein the term “ chimeric ” protein is meant to include “ fusion proteins ”. “ chimeric ” proteins of the present invention comprise at least a portion of a non - tace protein joined via a peptide bond to at least a portion of a tace polypeptide . chimeric proteins can have additional structural , regulatory , or catalytic properties . in a particular embodiment the chimeric protein functions as a means of detecting and / or isolating the tace polypeptide or fragment thereof after the recombinant nucleic acid is expressed . non - tace amino acid sequences are preferably either amino - or carboxy - terminal to the tace sequence . as used herein one amino acid sequence is 100 % “ identical ” to a second amino acid sequence when the amino acid residues of both sequences are identical . accordingly , an amino acid sequence is 50 % “ identical ” to a second amino acid sequence when 50 % of the amino acid residues of the two amino acid sequences are identical . the sequence comparison is performed over a contiguous block of amino acid residues comprised by the tace polypeptide or the portion of the tace polypeptide being compared , e . g ., the modified catalytic domain ( seq id no : 8 ). in a preferred embodiment , selected deletions or insertions that could otherwise alter the correspondence between the two amino acid sequences are taken into account . as used herein , dna and protein sequence percent identity can be determined using c , macvector 6 . 0 . 1 , oxford molecular group plc ( 1996 ) and the clustal w algorithm with the alignment default parameters , and default parameters for identity . these commercially available programs can also be used to determine sequence similarity using the same or analogous default parameters . alternatively , an advanced blast search under the default filter conditions can be used , e . g ., using the gcg ( genetics computer group , program manual for the gcg package , version 7 , madison , wis .) pileup program using the default parameters . as used herein a “ nucleic acid ” refers to the phosphate ester polymeric form of ribonucleosides ( adenosine , guanosine , uridine or cytidine ; “ rna molecules ”) or deoxyribonucleosides ( deoxyadenosine , deoxyguanosine , deoxythymidine , or deoxycytidine ; “ dna molecules ”), or any phosphoester analogs thereof , such as phosphorothioates and thioesters , in either single stranded form , or a double - stranded helix . double stranded dna - dna , dna - rna and rna - rna helices are possible . when referring to a nucleic acid that is double stranded both the “ sense ” strand and the complementary “ antisense ” strand are intended to be included . thus a nucleic acid that is hybridizable to seq id no : 1 , for example , can be either hybridizable to the “ sense ” strand of seq id no : 1 , which is particularly listed in the sequence listing , or to the “ antisense ” strand which can be readily determined from that sequence listing . a dna “ coding sequence ” is a double - stranded dna sequence that is transcribed and translated into a polypeptide in a cell in vitro or in vivo when placed under the control of appropriate regulatory sequences . the boundaries of the coding sequence are determined by a start codon at the 5 ′ ( amino ) terminus and a translation stop codon at the 3 ′ ( carboxyl ) terminus . a coding sequence can include , but is not limited to , prokaryotic sequences , cdna from eukaryotic mrna , genomic dna sequences from eukaryotic ( e . g ., mammalian ) dna , and even synthetic dna sequences . if the coding sequence is intended for expression in a eukaryotic cell , a polyadenylation signal and transcription termination sequence will usually be located 3 ′ to the coding sequence . transcriptional and translational control sequences are dna regulatory sequences , such as promoters , enhancers , terminators , and the like , that provide for the expression of a coding sequence in a host cell . in eukaryotic cells , polyadenylation signals are control sequences . a “ promoter sequence ” is a dna regulatory region capable of binding rna polymerase in a cell and initiating transcription of a downstream ( 3 ′ direction ) coding sequence . for purposes of defining the present invention , the promoter sequence is bounded at its 3 ′ terminus by the transcription initiation site and extends upstream ( 5 ′ direction ) to include the minimum number of bases or elements necessary to initiate transcription at levels detectable above background . within the promoter sequence will be found a transcription initiation site ( conveniently defined for example , by mapping with nuclease s1 ), as well as protein binding domains ( consensus sequences ) responsible for the binding of rna polymerase . a coding sequence is “ under the control ” of transcriptional and translational control sequences in a cell when rna polymerase transcribes the coding sequence into mrna , which can then be trans - rna spliced and translated into the protein encoded by the coding sequence . a nucleic acid sequence is “ operatively linked ” to an expression control sequence when the expression control sequence controls or regulates the transcription and translation of that nucleic acid sequence . the term operatively linked includes having an appropriate start signal . a “ heterologous nucleotide sequence ” as used herein is a nucleotide sequence that is added to a nucleotide sequence of the present invention by recombinant methods to form a nucleic acid that is not naturally formed in nature . such nucleic acids can encode chimeric proteins . alternatively , a heterologous nucleotide sequence can contain a nucleic acid regulatory sequence . thus a heterologous nucleotide sequence can comprise non - coding sequences including restriction sites , regulatory sites , promoters and the like . in still another embodiment the heterologous nucleotide can function as a means of detecting a nucleotide sequence of the present invention . the present invention provides heterologous nucleotide sequences that when combined with nucleotide sequences encoding the tace proteins , and fragments thereof , are necessary and sufficient to encode all of the chimeric proteins of the present invention . as used herein the phrases “ structure based rational drug design ”, “ structure based drug design ”, “ structure assisted drug design ” and “ rational drug design ” are used interchangeably . these phrases are meant to convey a particular method of identifying and / or designing a ligand ( preferably an inhibitor ) for a specific target protein that includes the use of the three - dimensional structure of that protein and / or its corresponding protein - ligand complex . the phrase “ binding to ” in regard to a ligand binding to a polypeptide is used herein to include any or all such specific interactions that lead to a protein - ligand binding complex . this can include processes such as covalent , ionic , hydrophobic and hydrogen bonding , but does not include non - specific associations such solvent preferences . as used herein a “ ligand ” of a polypeptide is a compound that binds to the polypeptide in a protein - ligand binding complex . in a specific embodiment of the present invention the polypeptide has an enzymatic activity and the ligand inhibits that activity when bound to the polypeptide in a protein - ligand binding complex . such a ligand is also termed an “ inhibitor ”. as used herein the term “ initial ligand ” denotes a ligand in a protein - ligand complex that is , or can be displaced by a “ substitute ligand ”. as used herein , a “ protein - ligand binding complex ” is a specific association between a polypeptide and the compound that binds to it . in a preferred embodiment of the present invention , the ligand is an inhibitor of the polypeptide . in a particular embodiment of this type , the binding of the inhibitor to the polypeptide occurs at the active site of the polypeptide . as used herein “ incubating a ligand with a crystal ” is used interchangeably with “ soaking a crystal with a ligand ”. incubating a ligand with a crystal is the contacting of a ligand with a crystal of a polypeptide under the appropriate conditions and for a sufficient time period ( e . g ., hours to several days ) for the ligand to bind to the crystalline polypeptide and form a crystalline protein - ligand complex . such incubating can further and / or alternatively , include contacting an excess of a substitute ligand with a crystal of a protein - ligand complex under the appropriate conditions and for a sufficient time period ( e . g ., hours to several days ) for the substitute ligand to replace the initial ligand and form the new crystalline protein - ligand complex . as used herein the terms “ displacing ”, “ replacing ”, and “ exchanging ” are used interchangeably in regard to the substitution of one ligand in a protein - ligand complex for another . as used herein an “ excess of a substitute ligand ” is an amount of that ligand that is sufficient to replace 80 % or more , and preferably 90 % or more , of the initial ligand in a protein - ligand complex . in a particular embodiment of this type , the concentration of the substitute ligand is about ten - fold higher than the concentration of the protein - ligand complex . in a preferred embodiment , the concentration of the substitute ligand is about one hundred - fold higher than the concentration of the protein - ligand complex . as used herein the term “ x - ray diffractable crystal ” is a crystal of a compound that yields a discernable diffraction pattern when subjected to 0 . 5 to 2 . 5 å incident x - ray radiation . as used herein an “ x - ray quality crystal ” is an x - ray diffractable crystal that can yield meaningful structural data of its crystalline composition when subjected to x - ray crystallographic analysis . as used herein , and unless otherwise specified , the terms “ agent ”, “ potential drug ”, “ compound ”, or “ test compound ” are used interchangeably , and refer to chemicals that have or potentially have a use as an inhibitor of the proteolytic activity of tace . preferably such agents include drugs for the treatment or prevention of a disease and / or condition involving the proteolytic action of tace . therefore , such agents may be used , as described herein , in drug assays and drug screens and the like . as used herein a “ small organic molecule ” is an organic compound [ or organic compound complexed with an inorganic compound ( e . g ., metal )] that has a molecular weight of less than 3 kd . as used herein the terms “ approximately ” and “ about ” are used to signify that a value is within twenty percent of the indicated value i . e ., an amino acid sequence containing “ approximately ” 260 amino acid residues can contain between 208 and 312 amino acid residues . obtaining and / or constructing a cdna that encodes a polypeptide comprising a modified tace facilitates the production of the large quantities of protein required to perform x - ray crystallographic analysis . since the sequence of the native protein is known [ see u . s . pat . no . 6 , 013 , 466 , issued jan . 11 , 2000 , the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties ], a cdna encoding the modified protease can be readily obtained . to express a recombinant protein of the present invention in a host cell , an expression vector can be constructed comprising the corresponding cdna . the present invention therefore , provides expression vectors containing nucleic acids encoding polypeptides comprising the modified tace catalytic domains of the present invention . due to the degeneracy of nucleotide coding sequences , other dna sequences which encode substantially the same amino acid sequence as a nucleic acid encoding a polypeptide comprising the modified tace catalytic domain of the present invention may be used in the practice of the present invention . these include , but are not limited to , allelic genes , homologous genes from other species , which are altered by the substitution of different codons that encode the same amino acid residue within the sequence , thus producing a silent change . host cells comprising the expression vectors of the present invention are also provided . cloning of cdnas and expression of their corresponding recombinant proteins have become a routine laboratory exercise [ see sambrook and russell , molecular cloning , a laboratory manual , 3 rd edition , cold spring harbor laboratory press , cold spring harbor l . i . ( 2000 ), the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties ]. the use of a baculovirus recombination system and sf9 host cells is exemplified below . purification of recombinant proteins has also become a routine laboratory exercise . in the present case , the modified tace protein was cloned and expressed as the pro - protein . the pre and pro domains were cleaved during protein expression and secretion by the cells . the catalytic domain was then purified ( see example below ). the nucleotide sequence for open reading frame of tace with a gs linker , a polyhis tag ( h6 ), and stop codon is shown below . the nucleic acid sequence encoding : ( i ) the pre domain is underlined , ( ii ) the pro domain is under - dashed , ( iii ) the catalytic domain is unmarked and ( iv ) the gs linker and the polyhis tag ( h6 ) are double underlined . the stop codon is underlined with a wavy line . ( seq id no : 9 ) atgaggcagtctctcctattcctgaccagcgtggttcctttcgtgctggc g c c g c g a c c t c c g g a t g a c c c g g g c t t c g g c c c c c a c c a g a g g c t c g a g a a g c t t g a t t c t t t g c t c t c a g a c t a c g a t a t t c t c t c t t t a t c t a a t a t c c a g c a g c a t t c g g t a a g a a a a a g a g a t c t a c a g a c t t c a a c a c a t g t a g a a a c a c t a c t a a c t t t t t c a g c t t t g a a a a g g c a t t t t a a a t t a t a c c t g a c a t c a a g t a c t g a a c g t t t t t c a c a a a a t t t c a a g g t c g t g g t g g t g g a t g g t a a a a a c g a a a g c g a g t a c a c t g t a a a a t g g c a g g a c t t c t t c a c t g g a c a c g t g g t t g g t g a g c c t g a c t c t a g g g t t c t a g c c c a c a t a a g a g a t g a t g a t g t t a t a a t c a g a a t c a a c a c a g a t g g g g c c g a a t a t a a c a t a g a g c c a c t t t g g a g a t t t g t t a a t g a t a c c a a a g a c a a a a g a a t g t t a g t t t a t a a a t c t g a a g a t a t c a a g a a t g t t t c a c g t t t g c a g t c t c c a a a a g t g t g t g g t t a t t t a a a a g t g g a t a a t g a a g a g t t g c t c c c a a a a g g g t t a g t a g a c a g a g a a c c a c c t g a a g a g c t t g t t c a t c g a g t g a a a a g a agagctga cccagatcccatgaagaacacgtgtaaattattggtggtagcagatcatc gcttctacagatacatgggcagaggggaagagagtacaactacaaattac ttaatagagctaattgacagagttgatgacatctatcggaacactgcatg ggataatgcaggttttaaaggctatggaatacagatagagcagattcgca ttctcaagtctccacaagaggtaaaacctggtgaaaagcactacaacatg gcaaaaagttacccaaatgaagaaaaggatgcttgggatgtgaagatgtt gctagagcaatttagctttgatatagctgaggaagcatctaaagtttgct tggcacaccttttcacataccaagattttgatatgggaactcttggatta gcttatgttggctctcccagagcaaacagccatggaggtgtttgtccaaa ggcttattatagcccagttgggaagaaaaatatctatttgaatagtggtt tgacgagcacaaagaattatggtaaaaccatccttacaaaggaagctgac ctggttacaactcatgaattgggacataattttggagcagaacatgatcc ggatcgtctagcagaatgtgccccgaatgaggaccagggagggaaatatg tcatgtatcccatagctgtgagtggcgatcacgagaacaataagatgttt tcacagtgcagtaaacaatcaatctataagaccattgaaagtaaggccca ggagtgttttcaagaacgcagcaataaagtt gggagccaccatcatcacc atcac { tilde under ( taa )} any technique for mutagenesis known in the art can be used to convert the native tace catalytic domain to a modified domain , including but not limited to , in vitro site - directed mutagenesis [ hutchinson et al ., j . biol . chem ., 253 : 6551 ( 1978 ); zoller and smith , dna , 3 : 479 - 488 ( 1984 ); oliphant et al ., gene , 44 : 177 ( 1986 ); hutchinson et al ., proc . natl . acad . sci . u . s . a ., 83 : 710 ( 1986 )]. the use of tab @ linkers ( pharmacia ), etc . and pcr techniques also can be employed for site directed mutagenesis [ see higuchi , “ using pcr to engineer dna ”, in pcr technology : principles and applications for dna amplification , h . erlich , ed ., stockton press , chapter 6 , pp . 61 - 70 ( 1989 )]. preferably mutagenesis ( i . e ., modification ) of the tace catalytic domain is performed in a two step process [ wang , and malcolm , biotechniques 26 : 680 - 682 ( 1999 )]. in the example below , two extension reactions were performed in separate tubes in the first stage : ( i ) one containing the forward primer , and ( ii ) the other containing the reverse primer . after two cycles , the two reactions are mixed and the standard quickchange mutagenisis procedure is carried out for an additional 18 cycles . following amplification , the parental strand is digested with lunit of dpn1 for 1 hour and an aliquot is transformed into dh5 - alpha cells [ genewiz , new york , n . y .] the amino acid sequence for the tace polypeptide is shown below . ( i ) the pre domain is underlined , ( ii ) the pro domain is under - dashed , and ( iii ) the catalytic domain is unmarked . the gs - linker and polyhistidine tag ( h6 ) are not included . the valine residue that is replaced with a non - hydrophobic amino acid residue in the modified tace polypeptide is in bold . in addition , serine - 266 has been replaced by an alanine , and asparagine - 452 has been replaced by a glutamine in order to remove the n - linked glycosylation sites . ( seq id no : 2 ) mrqsllfltsvvpfvla p r p p d d p g f g p h q r l e k l d s l l s d y d i l s l s n t q q h s v r k r d l q t s t h v e t l l t f s a l k r h f k l y l t s s t e r f s q n f k v v v v d g k n e s e y t v k w q d f f t g r v v g e p d s r v l a h i r d d d v i i r i n t d g a e y n i e p l w r f v n d t k d k r m l v y k s e d i k n v s r l q s p k v c g y l k v d n e e l l p k g l v d r e p p e e l v h r v k r radpdpmkntckllvvadhrfyrymgrgeestttny lielidrvddiyrntawdnagfkgygiqieqirilkspqevkpgekhynm aksypneekdawdvkmlleqfsfdiaeeaskvclahlftyqdfdmgtlgl ay v gspranshggvcpkayyspvgkkniylnsgltstknygktiltkead lvtthelghnfgaehdpdglaecapnedqggkyvmypiavsgdhennkmf sqcskqsiyktteskaqecfqersnkv the amino acid sequence for the catalytic domain of the modified tace polypeptide is shown below . whereas , the native protein comprises val 353 ( val 139 of seq id no : 6 ), this amino acid residue is replaced by a non - hydrophobic amino acid residue in a modified tace catalytic domain . this amino acid position is denoted with an “ x ” in bold below . preferably the non - hydrophobic amino acid residue is a glycl , alanyl , or seryl amino acid residue . the gs - linker and polyhistidine tag ( h6 ) are not included . radpdpmkntckllvvadhrfyrymgrgeestttnylielidrvddiyrntawdnagfkg ygiqieqirilkspqevkpgekhynmaksypneekdawdvkmlleqfsfdiaeeaskvcl ahlftyqdfdmgtlglayxgspranshggvcpkayyspvgkkniylnsgltstknygkti ltkeadlvtthelghnfgaehdpdglaecapnedqggkyvmypiavsgdhennkmfsqcs kqsiyktieskaqecfqersnkv ( seq id no : 8 ), where x is a non - hydrophobic amino acid residue , and preferably either alanine , glycine or serine . in a particular embodiment of the present invention , a modified tace polypeptide or fragment thereof ( e . g ., the catalytic domain ) is at least about 75 % identical , more preferably at least about 90 % identical , and most preferably at least about 95 % identical to the tace polypeptide or fragment thereof . as indicated above , a modified tace or fragment thereof has a non - hydrophobic amino acid residue in place of the valine at position 353 ( as defined in seq id no : 2 ). polypeptides comprising the modified tace catalytic domains of the invention include those containing altered sequences in which functionally equivalent amino acid residues are substituted for residues within the sequence resulting in a conservative amino acid substitution . for example , one or more amino acid residues within the sequence can be substituted by another amino acid of a similar polarity , which acts as a functional equivalent , resulting in a silent alteration . substitutes for an amino acid within the sequence may be selected from other members of the class to which the amino acid belongs . for example , the nonpolar amino acids include alanine , leucine , isoleucine , valine , proline , phenylalanine , tryptophan , and methionine . amino acids containing aromatic ring structures are phenylalanine , tryptophan , and tyrosine . the polar neutral amino acids include glycine , serine , threonine , cysteine , tyrosine , asparagine , and glutamine . the positively charged ( basic ) amino acids include arginine and lysine . the negatively charged ( acidic ) amino acids include aspartic acid and glutamic acid . ( a ) lys for arg or vice versa such that a positive charge may be maintained ; ( b ) glu for asp or vice versa such that a negative charge may be maintained ; ( c ) ser for thr or vice versa such that a free — oh can be maintained ; ( d ) gln for asn or vice versa such that a free nh 2 can be maintained ; and ( e ) ile for leu or for val or vice versa as roughly equivalent hydrophobic amino acids . all of the modified tace catalytic domains of the present invention also can be part of a chimeric protein . in a specific embodiment , a chimeric tace protein is expressed in a eukaryotic cell . such a chimeric protein can be a fusion protein used to isolate a modified tace of the present invention , through the use of an affinity column that is specific for the protein fused to the tace protein . in one such embodiment , the chimeric tace is expressed in a eukaryotic cell . examples of such fusion proteins include : a glutathione - s - transferase ( gst ) fusion protein , a maltose - binding ( mbp ) protein fusion protein , a flag - tagged fusion protein , or as specifically exemplified below , a poly - histidine - tagged fusion protein . expression of a chimeric tace protein , or fragment thereof , as a fusion protein can facilitate stable expression , and / or allow for purification based on the properties of the fusion partner . thus the purification of the recombinant polypeptides of the present invention can be simplified through the use of fusion proteins having affinity tags . for example , gst binds glutathione conjugated to a solid support matrix , mbp binds to a maltose matrix , and poly - histidine chelates to a ni - chelation support matrix , as specifically exemplified below [ see hochuli et al ., biotechnolgy 6 : 1321 - 1325 ( 1998 )]. the fusion protein can be eluted from the specific matrix with appropriate buffers , or by treating with a protease that is specific for a cleavage site that has been genetically engineered in between the tace protein and its fusion partner . alternatively , a modified tace catalytic domain can be combined with a marker protein such as green fluorescent protein [ waldo et al ., nature biotech . 17 : 691 - 695 ( 1999 ); u . s . pat . no . 5 , 625 , 048 filed apr . 29 , 1997 and wo 97 / 26333 , published jul . 24 , 1997 , the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entireties ]. alternatively or in addition , other column chromatography steps ( e . g ., gel filtration , ion exchange , affinity chromatography etc .) can be used to purify the recombinant proteins of the present invention . in many cases , such column chromatography steps employ high performance liquid chromatography or analogous methods in place of the more classical gravity - based procedures . as exemplified below , a recombinant modified tace catalytic domain was purified with a ninta column following routine centrifugation and diafiltration steps . after the purified protein was collected from the ninta column , it was placed on a gel filtration column . the resulting eluate was then concentrated and desalted prior to being combined with an inhibitor to form a protein - ligand complex . alternatively , polypeptides comprising the modified tace catalytic domains of the present invention can be chemically synthesized [ see e . g ., synthetic peptides : a user &# 39 ; s guide , w . h . freeman & amp ; co ., new york , n . y ., pp . 382 , grant , ed . ( 1992 )]. the catalytic activity of the tace protease can be determined in an assay using the synthetic peptide ac - splaqa - vrsssr - nh 2 ( seq id no : 17 ) as the substrate . this amino acid sequence corresponds to the cleavage site of tace on protnf - alpha , with the sessile bond being between the alanine and the valine . the activity can be measured by incubating 100 nm tace with 100 micromolar substrate in 25 mm hepes ph 7 . 3 , 5 mm cacl 2 , for 1 hour at room temperature . product formation can be quantified at 214 nm by hplc using a reverse phase column to separate the substrate from the products . the ability of a given compound added to the reaction to act as an inhibitor of tace can then be determined . alternatively , tace activity can be determined in a fluorescence assay using the synthetic peptide substrate , k ( mca )- splaqa - vrsssrk ( dpn )- nh 2 ( seq id no : 18 ). k ( mca ) is a lysyl residue modified by comprising an epsilonn - methoxycoumarin , whereas k ( dpn )- nh 2 is a lysyl residue modified to comprise an epsilonn 2 , 4 , dinitrophenyl . 2 - 100 nanomolar tace protease ( or active fragment thereof ) is incubated with 25 micromolar peptide substrate in 25 mm hepes ph 7 . 3 , 5 mm cacl 2 for 1 hour at room temperature . product formation is detected by exciting at 340 nm and measuring the fluorescence emission at 380 nm every 30 seconds for about an hour . the initial velocity can be obtained by linear regression . the increase in fluorescence emission can be correlated with the quantity of cleaved product . the ability of a given compound added to the reaction to act as an inhibitor of tace can then be determined . crystals of the protein - ligand complex comprising a modified tace catalytic domain of the present invention can be grown by a number of techniques including batch crystallization , vapor diffusion ( e . g ., by sitting drop or hanging drop ) and by microdialysis . in the example below , the modified tace catalytic domain was complexed with n -{ d , l - 2 -( hydroxyaminocarbonyl ) methyl - 4 - methylpentanoyl }- l - 3 - amino - 2 - dimethylbutanoyl - l - alanine , 2 -( amino ) ethyl amide and crystallized by hanging drop vapor diffusion . seeding of the crystals in some instances is required to obtain x - ray quality crystals . standard micro and / or macro seeding of crystals may therefore be used . as exemplified below , the protein - ligand complex comprising the modified tace catalytic domain v353g ( vgtace ) was crystallized under similar conditions to those previously employed for the non - modified tace [ wo9940182 , published aug . 12 , 1999 , u . s . application ser . no . 09 / 117 , 476 , filed jan . 27 , 1999 , the contents of which are both hereby incorporated by reference in its entireties ]. a substitute ligand can replace the co - crystallized initial ligand by soaking a crystal of protein - initial ligand complex with the substitute ligand . thus , one or more crystals of protein - initial ligand complex can be placed in the reservoir solution containing about a 10 - fold or greater excess of substitute ligand . the crystal is kept under the appropriate conditions and for a sufficient time period for the substitute ligand to replace the initial ligand and form the new crystalline protein - substitute ligand complex . in the example below , a crystal was kept in the solution containing the substitute ligand for about 72 hours . after the incubation , the crystal of the protein - substitute ligand complex can be frozen in liquid propane , for example and then used for x - ray diffraction . crystals can be characterized using x - rays produced in a conventional source ( such as a sealed tube or a rotating anode ) or using a synchrotron source . methods of characterization include , but are not limited to , precision photography , oscillation photography and diffractometer data collection . as exemplified below , the crystals were flash frozen in liquid propane and x - ray diffraction was collected at 100 degrees kelvin using conventional or synchrotron sources . in the example below , the crystal structure of the modified tace catalytic domain v353g ( vgtace ) was solved by molecular replacement and then refined using standard crystallographic programs . the published tace structure was used as the starting model [ pdb code : 1bkc ; maskos et . al ., proc . natl . acad . sci . usa 95 : 3408 - 3412 ( 1998 ); wo9940182 , published aug . 12 , 1999 , u . s . application ser . no . 09 / 117 , 476 , filed jan . 27 , 1999 , the contents of which are both hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety ]. replacement of the co - crystallized inhibitor was verified by difference electron density maps . the vgtace : inhibitor structures were refined using x - plor [ brunger et al ., acta crystallogr . a 46 : 585 - 593 ( 1990 ); brunger et al ., acta crystallogr . d biol . crystallogr ., 54 : 905 - 921 ( 1998 )]. refinement calculations also can be performed using cns [ adams et al ., proc . natl . acad . sci . usa , 94 : 5018 - 5023 ( 1997 )]. map interpretation and model building also can be performed using o [ jones et al ., acta cryst , a 47 : 110 - 119 ( 1991 )]. other computer programs that can be used to solve crystal structures include : quanta , charmm ; insight ; sybyl ; macromode ; and icm . generally , structure based rational drug design is performed by analyzing the three - dimensional structures of successive protein - ligand complexes . this iterative process requires x - ray quality crystals of numerous protein - ligand complexes . these crystals can be obtained three ways . first , crystals of each protein - ligand complex can be grown de novo . this is the most time - consuming method , and in many instances requires determining a new set of crystallization conditions . the second method is to incubate ( e . g ., soak ) individual crystals of the uncomplexed protein with each different ligand . this method is much faster than growing new crystals , but still requires a relatively large stock of protein to generate all of the new crystals . the third and most expedient method is to incubate a previously formed protein - ligand crystal with a large excess of a substitute ligand , thereby replacing the initial ligand with the substitute ligand in the protein - ligand complex . heretofore , it was difficult to prepare alternative protein - ligand complexes of tace since the two available x - ray quality crystals of tace comprised the unstable , native tace . the present invention overcomes this problem by providing a modified tace catalytic domain that forms x - ray quality crystals that are amenable to ligand exchange . once three - dimensional structures of crystals comprising modified tace catalytic domains are determined , a potential inhibitor of tace can be examined through the use of computer modeling using a docking program such as gram , dock , or autodock [ dunbrack et al ., folding & amp ; design , 2 : 27 - 42 ( 1997 )]. this procedure can include computer fitting of potential inhibitors to the modified tace catalytic domain to ascertain how well the shape and the chemical structure of the potential modulator will interact with the tace protein [ bugg et al ., scientific american , dec . : 92 - 98 ( 1993 ); west et al ., tibs , 16 : 67 - 74 ( 1995 )]. computer programs can also be employed to estimate the attraction , repulsion , and steric hindrance of the modified tace catalytic domain with an inhibitor . generally the tighter the fit , the lower the steric hindrances , and the greater the attractive forces , the more potent the inhibitor , since these properties are consistent with a tighter binding constant . furthermore , the more specificity in the design of a potential drug the more likely that the drug will not interact as well with other proteins . this will minimize potential side - effects due to unwanted interactions with other proteins . initially compounds known to bind tace , for example n -{ d , l - 2 -( hydroxyaminocarbonyl ) methyl - 4 - methylpentanoyl }- l - 3 - amino - 2 - dimethylbutanoyl - l - alanine , 2 -( amino ) ethyl amide , or a compound that inhibits tace disclosed by letavic et al ., [ biorgan . & amp ; medic . chem lett . 12 : 1387 - 1390 ( 2002 ) the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties ], or alternatively , a compound that binds metalloproteases as disclosed as by zask et al . [ curr . pharm . des ., 2 : 624 - 661 ( 1996 ), the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties ], can be systematically modified by computer modeling programs until one or more promising potential analogs are identified . such analysis has been shown to be effective in the development of hiv protease inhibitors [ lam et al ., science 263 : 380 - 384 ( 1994 ); wlodawer et al ., ann . rev . biochem . 62 : 543 - 585 ( 1993 ); appelt , perspectives in drug discovery and design 1 : 23 - 48 ( 1993 ); erickson , perspectives in drug discovery and design 1 : 109 - 128 ( 1993 )]. alternatively , a potential inhibitor initially can be obtained by screening a random peptide library or a chemical library . in the former case , a random peptide library can be produced by recombinant bacteriophage , for example , [ scott and smith , science , 249 : 386 - 390 ( 1990 ); cwirla et al ., proc . natl . acad . sci ., 87 : 6378 - 6382 ( 1990 ); devlin et al ., science , 249 : 404 - 406 ( 1990 )]. a peptide selected in this manner would then be systematically modified by computer modeling programs , as described above . if a potential inhibitor is a small organic compound , it can be selected from a library of chemicals , including commercially available chemical libraries . alternatively , the small organic compound may be synthesized de novo . the de novo synthesis of one or even a relatively small group of specific compounds is reasonable in the art of drug design . once obtained , the potential inhibitor can be further tested in a standard binding and / or catalytic assay with tace , the tace catalytic domain , or an active fragment thereof . for example , a binding assay can be performed following the attachment of the tace catalytic domain to a solid support . methods for placing the tace catalytic domain on the solid support are well known in the art and include such things as linking biotin to the tace catalytic domain and linking avidin to the solid support . the solid support can be washed to remove unbound protein . a solution of a labeled potential inhibitor can be contacted with the solid support . the solid support is washed again to remove the potential inhibitor not bound to the support . the amount of labeled potential inhibitor remaining with the solid support , and thereby bound to the tace catalytic domain can be determined . alternatively , or in addition , the dissociation constant between the labeled potential inhibitor and the tace catalytic domain , for example , can be determined . suitable labels for either the tace catalytic domain or the potential inhibitor include , radioactive labels ( e . g ., 14 c , 1 h ,) and fluorescent labels such as fluorescein isothiocyanate ( fitc ). in another embodiment , a biacore machine can be used to determine the binding constant of the tace catalytic domain with a potential inhibitor [ o &# 39 ; shannessy et al . anal . biochem . 212 : 457 - 468 ( 1993 ); schuster et al ., nature 365 : 343 - 347 ( 1993 )]. in another aspect of the present invention a potential inhibitor is tested for its ability to inhibit the proteolytic activity of tace or an active fragment thereof . an inhibitor is then selected on the basis of its ability to inhibit the catalytic reaction of the tace protease . when a promising inhibitor is identified , a crystal comprising a protein - ligand complex of the inhibitor and the modified tace catalytic domain can be prepared by incubating an excess of the inhibitor ( substitute ligand ) with a crystal of a modified tace catalytic domain - ligand complex . the three - dimensional structure of the resulting crystalline protein - substitute ligand complex can then be determined by molecular replacement analysis , for example . molecular replacement involves using a known three - dimensional structure as a search model to determine the structure of a closely related molecule or protein - ligand complex in a different crystalline form . the measured x - ray diffraction properties of the new crystal are compared with the search model structure to compute the position and orientation of the protein in the new crystal . computer programs that can be used include : x - plor ( see above ), cns , ( crystallography and nmr system , a next level of xplor ), and amore [ navaza , acta crystallographics aso , 157 - 163 ( 1994 )]. once the position and orientation are known , an electron density map can be calculated using the search model to provide x - ray phases . thereafter , the electron density is inspected for structural differences and the search model is modified to conform to the new structure . using this approach , it is possible to solve the three - dimensional structures of crystals of any protein - ligand complex of the modified tace catalytic domain . for all of the drug screening assays described herein , further refinements to the structure of the drug will generally be necessary and can be made by the successive iterations of any and / or all of the steps provided by the particular drug screening assay and / or in combination with other such drug screening assays . a candidate drug selected by performing structure based rational drug design can then be assayed in situ and / or in vivo . a candidate drug can be identified as a drug , for example , if it ameliorates a symptom caused by an overabundance of the soluble form of tnf - alpha in an animal model . indeed , methods of testing such potential candidate drugs in animal models are well known in the art . the potential drugs can be administered by a variety of ways including topically , orally , subcutaneously , or intraperitoneally depending on the proposed use . generally , at least two groups of animals are used in the assay , with at least one group being a control group that is administered the administration vehicle without the potential drug . the present invention provides the three - dimensional depiction of the tace catalytic domain in a complex with an inhibitor on an electronic and / or magnetic medium . more specifically , the present invention provides the data comprised in table 3 on an electronic and / or magnetic medium . in addition , the present invention provides a computer that comprises a representation of the tace catalytic domain - inhibitor complex in computer memory that can be used to screen for compounds that will inhibit the proteolytic activity of tace . the computer may comprise portions of , or all of the information contained in table 3 . in a particular embodiment , the computer comprises : ( i ) a machine - readable data storage material encoded with machine - readable data , ( ii ) a working memory for storing instructions for processing the machine readable data , ( iii ) a central processing unit coupled to the working memory and the machine - readable data storage material for processing the machine readable data into a three - dimensional representation , and ( iv ) a display coupled to the central processing unit for displaying the three - dimensional representation . thus the machine - readable data storage medium comprises a data storage material encoded with machine readable data which can comprise portions of , or all of the structural information contained in table 3 . one embodiment for manipulating and displaying the structural data provided by the present invention is schematically depicted in fig1 . as depicted the system 1 , includes a computer 2 comprising a central processing unit (“ cpu ”) 3 , a working memory 4 which may be random - access memory or “ core ” memory , mass storage memory 5 ( e . g ., one or more disk or cd - rom drives ), a display terminal 6 ( e . g ., a cathoderay tube ), one or more keyboards 7 , one or more input lines 10 , and one or more output lines 20 , all of which are interconnected by a conventional bidirectional system bus 30 . input hardware 12 , coupled to the computer 2 by input lines 10 , may be implemented in a variety of ways . machine - readable data may be inputted via the use of one or more modems 14 connected by a telephone line or dedicated data line 16 . alternatively or additionally , the input hardware may comprise cd - rom or disk drives 5 . in conjunction with the display terminal 6 , the keyboard 7 may also be used as an input device . output hardware 22 , coupled to computer 2 by output lines 20 , may similarly be implemented by conventional devices . output hardware 22 may include a display terminal 6 for displaying the three dimensional data . output hardware might also include a printer 24 , so that a hard copy output may be produced , or a disk drive or cdrom 5 , to store system output for later use , [ see also u . s . pat . no . 5 , 978 , 740 , issued nov . 2 , 1999 , the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties ]. in operation , the cpu 3 ( i ) coordinates the use of the various input and output devices 12 and 22 ; ( ii ) coordinates data accesses from mass storage 5 and accesses to and from working memory 4 ; and ( iii ) determines the sequence of data processing steps . any of a number of programs may be used to process the machine - readable data of this invention . the present invention may be better understood by reference to the following non - limiting example , which is provided as exemplary of the invention . the following example is presented in order to more fully illustrate the preferred embodiments of the invention . it should in no way be construed , however , as limiting the broad scope of the invention . the tace protein was cloned and expressed as the pro - protein . the pre and pro domains are cleaved during protein expression and secretion by the cells . only the catalytic domain was purified . two pcr primers were used to amplify the pre - pro - cat domains of tace having bamh1 and gs -( his ) 6 - kpn1 sites at the 5 ′ and 3 ′ ends respectively : seq id no : 10 bamh1f : 5 ′ cgcggatccatgaggcagtctctcctattcctg 3 ′ seq id no : 11 kpn1r : 5 ′ ccggcctaccttagtgatggtgatgatggtgggatc 3 ′ the purified pcr fragment was digested with bamh1 and kpn1 and subcoloned into the pfastbac1 vector provided in the bac - to - bac baculovirus expression system ( invitrogen , carlsbad , calif .). the tace mutants ( v353g , v353s ) were generated using the quickchange kit ( stratagene , la jolla , calif ., usa ) using the native tace pfastbac1 vector as a template and the following complementary mutagenic primers : v353gf : 5 ′ gga act ctt gga tta gct tat gga ggc seq id no : 12 tct ccc aga gca aac 3 ′ v353gr : 5 ′ gtt tgc tct ggg aga gcc tcc ata agc seq id no : 13 taa tcc aag agt tcc 3 ′ v353sf : 5 ′ gga act ctt gga tta gct tat agc ggc seq id no : 14 tct ccc aga gca aac3 ′ v353sr : 5 ′ gtt tgc tct ggg aga gcc gct ata agc seq id no : 15 taa tcc aag agt tcc3 ′ the mutagenesis was performed in two steps as previously described [ wang , and malcolm , biotechniques 26 : 680 - 682 ( 1999 ) the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties ]. in the first stage , two extension reactions were performed in separate tubes ; one containing the forward primer and the other containing the reverse primer . after two cycles , the two reactions were mixed and the standard quickchange mutagenisis procedure was carried out for an additional 18 cycles . following amplification , the parental strand was digested with 1unit of dpn1 for 1 hour and an aliquot was transformed into dh5 - alpha cells . the sequences of all of the vectors were confirmed . ( genewiz , new york , n . y .) production of recombinant baculovirus : recombinant baculovirus was produced using the bac - to - bac expression system ( invitrogen , carlsbad , calif .) following known protocols for the transposition , isolation and transfection of recombinant bacmid dna into sf9 cells for production of viral particles . the virus was amplified to the p2 generation and was titered using the bacpac baculovirus rapid titer kit ( clonetech , palo alto , calif .). expression and purification of tace and tace mutants : logarithmically growing trichoplusia ni cells ( high - 5 tm cells , 2 × 10 6 cells / ml ) were infected with amplified baculovirus at a moi = 1 . 0 ( 2 . 5 × 10 8 pfu / ml ) and grown at 27 degrees celsius for 48 - 60 hours . secreted tace was isolated from the cell culture media after clarification by centrifugation . the pooled supernatants were concentrated 10 fold and the buffer exchanged into 25 mm hepes , 0 . 15m nacl , ph 7 . 5 by diafiltration . to the desalted supernatant , 4 - aminophenyl - mercuric acetate ( apma ) was added to 20 μm , lauryl maltoside to 0 . 05 %, and imidazole to 25 mm . the supernatant was then applied to a ninta column ( qiagen hilden , germany ). the ninta column was washed with 25 mm imidazole in buffer a ( 50 mm hepes , 10 % glycerol , 0 . 3m nacl , 0 . 1 % m - octyl - beta - d - glucopyranoside , ph 7 . 5 ) until a stable baseline was achieved . the protein was then eluted with 250 mm imidazole in buffer a . the eluted protein was diluted to 0 . 1 mg / ml and dialyzed overnight against 25 mm tris ph 7 . 5 , with 20 μm apma to digest excess pro - domain . the protein was collected and adjusted to 0 . 15m nacl , concentrated , and applied to a superdex - 75 gel filtration column ( pharmacia ) equilibrated with 25 mm tris - hcl , 0 . 2m nacl ph 7 . 5 at 4 degrees celsius . fractions corresponding to the monomer of tace were pooled , and stored at 4 degrees celsius . the pooled tace enzyme was concentrated to 15 mg / ml , desalted into 25 mm tris - hcl ph 7 . 5 using bio - spin 6 columns ( bio - rad , hercules , calif .) and immediately complexed with n -{ d , l - 2 -( hydroxyaminocarbonyl ) methyl - 4 - methylpentanoyl }- l - 3 - amino - 2 - dimethylbutanoyl - l - alanine , 2 -( amino ) ethyl amide at a 1 : 1 . 5 molar ratio . using this protocol , total expression levels of 5 - 10 mg / l were obtained with a final recovery of 0 . 5 - 5 mg / l . crystallization : crystals were obtained by the hanging drop vapor diffusion method [ ducruix and giege . crystallization of nucleic acids and proteins . a practical approach . oxford university press , ( 1992 )]. a small volume ( 1 to 15 microliters ) containing the n -{ d , l - 2 -( hydroxyaminocarbonyl ) methyl - 4 - methylpentanoyl }- l - 3 - amino - 2 - dimethylbutanoyl - l - alanine , 2 -( amino ) ethyl amide [ commercially available from e . g ., calbiochem , san diego calif ., catalogue no . 579052 , ( tapi - 2 )] solution was equilibrated with a larger volume ( 1 ml ) of a reservoir solution . the reservoir solution contains the precipitant that facilitates the crystallization . during equilibration the water content in the hanging drop is reduced and the protein - ligand complex , [ i . e ., the complex between vgtace and n -{ d , l - 2 -( hydroxyaminocarbonyl ) methyl - 4 - methylpentanoyl }- l - 3 - amino - 2 - dimethylbutanoyl - l - alanine , 2 -( amino ) ethyl amide ] forms crystals . to crystallize the protein - ligand complex , one microliter of the protein - ligand complex solution was mixed with one microliter of the reservoir solution , which contains 15 % polyethylenglycol 4000 , 10 % 2 - propanol , and 100 mm citrate - buffer ph 5 . 6 . crystals were observed after one week . the crystals obtained were washed with the reservoir solution . in the next step , a single protein - ligand complex crystal was put into the reservoir solution , which contained in addition , a 10 mm tace inhibitor to replace the co - crystallized n -{ d , l - 2 -( hydroxyaminocarbonyl ) methyl - 4 - methylpentanoyl }- l - 3 - amino - 2 - dimethylbutanoyl - l - alanine , 2 -( amino ) ethyl amide . the crystal is usually kept for 72 hours in the solution containing the inhibitor to allow the ligand replacement . after incubation , the crystal was frozen in liquid propane and used for x - ray diffraction . two distinct structures of tace : inhibitor complexes have been previously disclosed [ maskos et . al ., proc . natl . acad . sci . usa 95 : 3408 - 3412 ( 1998 ); letavic et al . biorgan . & amp ; medic . chem lett . 12 : 1387 - 1390 ( 2002 )]. however , neither crystal appears to be amenable to crystal soaking . as disclosed herein , it has been unexpectedly discovered that the uncomplexed tace protein ( apo - protein ) is unstable at the high concentrations required to grow and use crystals for x - ray crystallographic studies . consistently , the crystal of maskos et . al . has been found to be resistant to standard inhibitor soaking experiments , severely limiting its value in structure based rational drug design . stability of tace : the stability of tace was examined under several buffer conditions at ph 7 . 5 . twenty microliter aliquots of tace at 15 mg / ml were desalted over p - 6 spin columns ( biorad , hercules , calif .) that had been equilibrated in : ( a ) 25 mm tris , 0 . 15m nacl ; ( b ) 25 mm tris ; or ( c ) 25 mm tris plus n -{ d , l - 2 -( hydroxyaminocarbonyl ) methyl - 4 - methylpentanoyl }- l - 3 - amino - 2 - dimethylbutanoyl - l - alanine , 2 -( amino ) ethyl amide . the stability of the tace protein was evaluated after storage at 4 degrees celsius for seven days . after incubating the tace polypeptide under the three conditions listed above , sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis ( sds - page ) was performed . the results show that only a single band having a molecular weight of 30 kd was observed when either high salt ( 0 . 15 sodium chloride ) or an inhibitor [ n -{ d , l - 2 -( hydroxyaminocarbonyl ) methyl - 4 - methylpentanoyl }- l - 3 - amino - 2 - dimethylbutanoyl - l - alanine , 2 -( amino ) ethyl amide , at a 1 : 1 . 5 molar ratio enzyme : inhibitor ] was included in the incubation . in direct contrast , two additional fainter bands that ran well ahead of the more significant tace band were observed in the sample lacking either high salt or the inhibitor . the molecular weights of these two additional fainter bands were 14 kd and 16 kd , respectively , which add up to the 30 kd molecular weight of the tace polypeptide . n - terminal sequencing of the peptides corresponding to the two additional bands indicated that they were indeed , proteolytic products of the tace protein . moreover , the sequencing data indicated the presence of a single cleavage site at 352y - v353 of seq id no : 2 . substrate specificity of tace : in an effort to understand the role of the different amino - acid residues of tace regarding substrate specificity , a substitution study was performed at the p ′ 1 position . the catalytic activity of tace was determined in an assay using the synthetic peptide ac - splaqa - vrsssr - nh2 ( seq id no : 17 ) as the substrate . the sequence corresponds to the cleavage site of tace on protnf - alpha , with the sessile bond being between the alanine and the valine . activity was measured by incubating 100 nm tace with 100 micromolar substrate in 25 mm hepes ph 7 . 3 , 5 mm cacl 2 , for 1 hour at room temperature . product formation was quantified at 214 nm after hplc separation using a poros - r1 reverse phase column . substitution of the p ′ 1 valine ( in bold above ) with either alanine , glycine or serine decreased activity of tace to non - detectable levels . based on this data it was decided to substitute the p ′ 1 position of the internal cleave site [ . . . lglay - vgspr . . . ( seq id no : 16 )] with one of these amino acids e . g ., either glycine or serine , in an attempt to eliminate the auto - proteolysis of tace seen in the absence of nacl . stability of tace and tace mutants : to test for stability under different storage conditions , 20 ul of tace protein , at 15 mg / ml , was desalted over bio - rad p - 6 columns equilibrated at ph 7 . 5 in : ( a ) 25 mm tris , 0 . 15m nacl ; ( b ) 25 mm tris + 1 mm n -{ d , l - 2 -( hydroxyaminocarbonyl ) methyl - 4 - methylpentanoyl }- l - 3 - amino - 2 - dimethylbutanoyl - l - alanine , 2 -( amino ) ethyl amide ; or ( c ) 25 mm tris . one microliter aliquots were analyzed by sds - page after storing them for 3 hours , or 17 days at 4 degrees celsius . in the absence of salt , the native protein exhibits a pattern consistent with substantial proteolysis occurring after only 3 hours , with the protein being completely proteolyzed after 17 days . in direct contrast , all constructs were stable in either 0 . 15m nacl , or 1 mm n -{ d , l - 2 -( hydroxyaminocarbonyl ) methyl - 4 - methylpentanoyl }- l - 3 - amino - 2 - dimethylbutanoyl - l - alanine , 2 -( amino ) ethyl amide . the 2 loop mutants v353g and v353s showed improved stability , with the v353g ( vgtace ) mutant being highly resistant to auto - proteolysis , even after 17 days . crystallization : the tace mutant v353g ( vgtace ) could be crystallized under similar conditions as the native tace [ wo9940182 , published aug . 12 , 1999 , u . s . application no . 09 / 117 , 476 , filed jan . 27 , 1999 , the contents of which are both hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety ]. vgtace was concentrated to 15 mg / ml in 150 mm nacl , 25 mm tris - hcl ph 8 . after desalting the vgtace with bio - rad p - 6 columns , n -{ d , l - 2 -( hydroxyaminocarbonyl ) methyl - 4 - methylpentanoyl }- l - 3 - amino - 2 - dimethylbutanoyl - l - alanine , 2 -( amino ) ethyl amide was added to a molecular ratio of 1 : 2 ( enzyme : inhibitor ). the complex was crystallized using the hanging drop vapor diffusion technique . equal amounts of vgtace - inhibitor solution were mixed with the reservoir solution , containing 15 % polyethylenglycol 4000 , 10 % 2 - propanol , 100 mm sodium citrate ph 4 . 6 , and equilibrated at 295 degrees kelvin . crystals were observed after 7 days . crystallographic analysis : vgtace crystals were washed using the reservoir solution . glycerol was then added to the reservoir solution to a final concentration of 15 %, and the crystals were flash frozen in liquid propane . x - ray diffraction data were collected at 100 degrees kelvin , using a rotating anode generator ( rigaku / msc ) or synchrotron sources . diffraction was observed up to 1 . 7 a . the vgtace crystals belong to space group p2 1 2 1 2 1 , ( a = 73 , b = 75 , c = 103 å ). there are two molecules located within the asymmetric unit . soaking with the compounds of table 2 was performed by incubation of the crystals in the reservoir solution in the presence of up to 70 mm of the respective inhibitor . in the v353g mutant crystals , the co - crystallized inhibitor n -{ d , l - 2 -( hydroxyaminocarbonyl ) methyl - 4 - methylpentanoyl }- l - 3 - amino - 2 - dimethylbutanoyl - l - alanine , 2 -( amino ) ethyl amide could be replaced during soaking . model building and refinement : the crystal structure of v353g mutant was solved by molecular replacement and refined using standard crystallographic programs . the published tace structure was used as the starting model [ pdb code : 1bkc ; maskos et . al ., proc . natl . acad . sci . usa 95 : 3408 - 3412 ( 1998 )]. replacement of the co - crystallized inhibitor was verified by difference electron density maps . the vgtace : inhibitor structures were refined using x - plor ( cns ). a list of vgtace : inhibitor structures that have been solved is shown in table 2 below . table 3 below , comprises the coordinate set from the crystal structure of tace complexed with n -{ 3 -( hydroxyaminocarbonyl )- 1 - oxo -( 2r )- benzylpropyl }- ile - leu - oh . to obtain these coordinates a single co - crystal of tace in complex with n -{ d , l - 2 -( hydroxyaminocarbonyl ) methyl - 4 - methylpentanoyl }- l - 3 - amino - 2 - dimethylbutanoyl - l - alanine , 2 -( amino ) ethyl amide was soaked in 10 % polyethylenglycol 8000 , 50 mm sodium citrate , 10 mm [ n -{ 3 -( hydroxyaminocarbonyl )- 1 - oxo -( 2r )- benzylpropyl }- ile - leu - oh ] and 10 % dimethylsulphoxide ( dmso ) for three days . the crystal was transferred into a solution with additional 10 % glycerol and flash - frozen in liquid nitrogen . x - ray diffraction data were collected as described above . these data were processed and the structure was refined as described above . the tace monomer includes amino acid residues 6 - 259 of the catalytic domain ( see seq id no : 20 ) and is bound to the inhibitor , n -{ 3 -( hydroxyaminocarbonyl )- 1 - oxo -( 2r )- benzylpropyl }- ile - leu - oh which has the number 260 in table 3 . the catalytic zinc ion has the number 261 . amino acid residues arg 28 , lys 72 , glu 81 , lys 88 , glu 93 , glu 94 , lys 95 , and arg 143 were modeled as ala residues since their side chains were disordered . the tace protein used had the amino acid sequence of seq id no : 20 , i . e ., gly 139 is the single point mutation site replacing val 139 of the tace wild - type amino acid sequence . in the data set below , one line contains information per one atom . the seven columns of table 3 represent respectively : 1 ) residue number , 2 ) one - letter amino acid code , 3 ) atom name , 4 ) x - coordinate , 5 ) y - coordinate , 6 ) z - coordinate , and the present invention is not to be limited in scope by the specific embodiments described herein . indeed , various modifications of the invention in addition to those described herein will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing description . such modifications are intended to fall within the scope of the appended claims . it is further to be understood that all base sizes or amino acid sizes , and all molecular weight or molecular mass values , given for nucleic acids or polypeptides are approximate , and are provided for description . various publications are cited herein , the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties .
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a vertical cleaning apparatus according to the present invention potentially reduces clean room costs by achieving a reduced footprint as compared to a horizontal cleaning apparatus . the vertical cleaning apparatus also allows for multiple workpiece cleaning , due to its modular design , and therefore can be configured to clean any number of workpieces . in addition , a vertical apparatus according to the present invention potentially reduces the risk of contamination by reducing the contact area between the workpiece and its cleaning solution , and the clean room environment . the present invention in one embodiment uses a velocity differential between brushes and workpieces to achieve cleaning , while the workpieces are in a vertical position . further , a vertical cleaning apparatus according to the present invention permits a megasonic cleaning process of both sides of a workpiece concurrently with cleaning using brushes and having one or more transducers , thereby eliminating the need for a separate subsequent megasonic cleaning step . an embodiment of a vertical cleaning apparatus according to the present invention is described herebelow , with reference to attached figures . [ 0022 ] fig1 illustrates a dual wafer vertical cleaning apparatus 10 according to one embodiment of the invention . this embodiment includes a first cleaning module 12 and a second cleaning module 14 with the potential for additional modules to be added as necessary . the modules function independently of each other , providing the advantage that one may continue to operate if the other were to experience a disabling failure . additionally , due to the functional independence in certain embodiments , each module can operate using a different cleaning protocol as needed . [ 0023 ] fig2 is a schematic cross sectional front view of a dual wafer vertical cleaning apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention . the dual wafer cleaner may be divided into two sections by a vertical plane c - c , as shown in the illustration . relative to this plane , we define an “ inner ” component to mean one closer to plane c - c , and “ outer ” to be one further from the plane . thus , the inner brushes are 21 a and 22 a . referring to fig2 and 3 , each module 12 and 14 contains a spaced - apart brush assembly 21 and 22 respectively . workpieces 25 are loaded between brushes 21 a , 21 b , 22 a , 22 b of spaced apart brush assemblies 21 and 22 . first brush assembly 21 has an inner brush 21 a and an outer brush 21 b relative to line c - c , and second brush assembly 22 has an inner brush 22 a and an outer brush 22 b relative to line c - c . the workpieces 25 rest on the rotatable supports 27 . the rotatable supports 27 are each located between and below the irrespective brush assemblies . in this embodiment , the rotatable supports 27 include a set of four rollers ( see fig2 ) but in other embodiments more or less rollers could be used , so long as the workpieces 25 are adequately supported throughout the cleaning process in a vertical orientation . during operation , each brush within its assembly rotates independently of the other . the downforce assembly 23 ( detailed in fig4 ) applies force to the outer brush 21 b and 22 b of each brush assembly . the pressure applied , in combination with the rotation of the brushes of the brush assemblies , imparts a rotational motion onto the workpieces 25 . the workpieces 25 may rotate at a slower rate than the brushes of each brush assembly thereby creating a velocity differential between the workpieces 25 and the brush assemblies which in turn allows the brushes to slide across the workpiece surfaces creating tangential forces that sweep and dislodge debris from the surface of the workpieces 25 . the individual brushes of each set may rotate at the same angular velocity or , alternatively , the brush velocities may differ to obtain a different cleaning format with the velocity of rotation of the brushes independently set in this or other embodiments of the dual wafer vertical cleaning apparatus 10 . further , brushes with different characteristics ( e . g . stiffeners , materials , etc .) may be used with differing angular velocities . in a further refinement , the relative velocity can be changed as desired during the cleaning operation . for example , the relative velocity can be changed during the cleaning operation by causing the brush that was initially rotating faster than the slower brush to reduce its angular velocity and become the brush that is rotating slower . any number of these directional reversal cycles can be used to obtain the desired cleaning profile . in this embodiment ( referring to fig2 and 3 ), workpieces 25 are disposed between the spaced - apart brush assemblies 21 and 22 so that a portion of the each workpiece 25 extends beyond an edge of brushes . preferably , the contact area between the workpieces and the brushes , combined with rotation of the workpieces , are designed so that the entire surface of each workpiece 25 will come into contact with brushes with a workpiece rotating at a velocity relative to the brushes . in other embodiments the brushes may completely cover the workpieces ( e . g ., the spaced - apart brushes may have a greater diameter than the workpiece , for example twice the diameter of the workpiece ). in such an embodiment , the first and second brush assemblies can be rotated with the centers of rotation of the brushes being offset with respect to the center of rotation of the workpieces . as shown in fig2 and 3 , dual wafer vertical cleaning apparatus 10 may include a tank 28 , for each spaced - apart brush assembly 21 and 22 , each tank containing cleaning solution 26 . support members 27 are located in the tanks 28 so that as the brush assemblies 21 , 22 are rotated , a portion of each of the workpieces 25 rotates through the cleaning solution 26 in the respective tank 28 , and then continues on to rotate into contact with the respective brushes . cleaning solution 26 adhering to the surface of the workpieces 25 assists the brushes in cleaning the workpiece surfaces . this embodiment additionally has a drain hole 24 located along the base of each tank 28 to facilitate removal of the cleaning solution 26 . in other embodiments , the spaced - apart brush assemblies may be located or sized so that the brushes are not submerged in the cleaning solution 26 , which may help lengthen the useful life of the brushes . in still a further refinement , dual wafer vertical cleaning apparatus 10 may include a megasonic transducer 29 disposed within each tank 28 . each megasonic transducer 29 is submerged in the cleaning solution 26 contained in each tank 28 . support members 27 are positioned in the each tank 28 so that at least part of each workpiece 25 is submerged in the cleaning solution 26 , as shown in fig2 . activation of megasonic transducers 29 results in the generation of sonic pulses in the cleaning fluid 26 to further clean workpieces 25 . this embodiment allows megasonic cleaning in conjunction with brush cleaning and allows for the placement of the megasonic transducers 29 anywhere in the tank 28 below the fluid surface to facilitate the cleaning process . thus , the addition of megasonic transducers 29 into this dual wafer vertical cleaning apparatus 10 can eliminate a step in a cleaning process ( i . e ., a prior or subsequent separate megasonic step ), and allows for a reduction in footprint of the overall cleaning process ( i . e ., the footprint of a separate megasonic cleaning station ). [ 0030 ] fig4 is an exploded view of a single wafer vertical cleaner module of dual wafer vertical cleaning apparatus 10 according to one embodiment of the invention . in this embodiment wafer 25 is loaded between the spaced - apart inner brush 21 a and spaced - apart outer brush 21 b . spaced - apart brushes 21 a and 21 b each have a platen 103 with an attached brush pad 102 . in this embodiment , brush pads 102 are respectively attached to platens 103 such as , for instance , by a mechanical attachment . for example , the brushes may be fitted with an elastic band , which may be stretched to fit over the platen . brush pad 102 may also be affixed to the platen by other mechanical means , fittings , or by chemical adhesives , preferably so that the brush pad 102 may be removed and replaced when worn out . brush pads 102 and 103 are configured in a pancake style configuration with the workpiece supported or sandwiched between the two pads . the pad is not necessarily equipped with bristles , but with a surface adapted for cleaning the workpiece surface . thus , any type of pad suited to the cleaning operation can be implemented and is herein known as a “ brush ,” or “ brush pad ” so long as it meets the requirements of the application . in light of the disclosure , brushes can be implemented by those skilled in the art of cmp tools without undue experimentation , an example of which is produced by syntak division , san jose , calif . as shown in fig4 one or more support rollers 27 are located between and below the spaced - apart brushes 21 a and 21 b to provide support for workpiece 25 during the cleaning process . these supports are preferably rotatable , and are located within the tank 28 so that as the spaced - apart brushes 21 a and 21 b are rotated , a portion of the supported workpiece 25 rotates through a cleaning solution in tank 28 . in this embodiment , as shown in fig4 tank 28 includes a first tank half 28 a , a second tank half 28 b , and a tank cover 28 c . megasonic transducer 29 is disposed within tank 28 . the megasonic transducer 29 provides sonic emissions that are transmitted via the cleaning fluid to the workpiece to provide additional cleaning of the workpiece 25 in concert with brush cleaning provided by the brushes 21 a and 21 b . in one embodiment the transducer &# 39 ; s length is approximately equivalent to the distance between the furthest edges of spaced - apart brushes 21 a and 21 b . alternatively , megasonic transducer 29 can be of a different size , so long as it can be contained inside and below the cleaning solution level in tank 28 . the fluid 26 ( as depicted in fig3 ) in tank 28 enters the tank 28 through fill hole 112 and can be of any suitable cleaning fluid such as , for example , an ammonium hydroxide solution . the embodiment of fig2 and 4 also provides drive mechanisms for each brush of brush assemblies 21 and 22 . the drive mechanisms comprises a motor coupled to a gear box as illustrated by gear / motor assembly 113 and located below each tank 28 . each motor provides drive to the brushes 21 a and 21 b respectively via a shaft , belt and pulley system . this shaft and pulley system includes a motor shaft pulley 110 in communication with the motor and the platen shaft pulley 108 by way of a drive belt 109 . the platen shaft pulley 108 imparts a drive motion onto platen shaft 107 , which in turn drives either the inner spaced - apart brush 21 a or the outer spaced - apart brush 21 b . platen shaft 107 rotates with the platen shaft clamp 120 which applies downforce to the platen shaft 107 , and thus to a workpiece 25 via thrust bearing 124 . thrust bearing 124 is contained in thrust bearing housing 123 . force is supplied by a downforce air cylinder 122 , which is contained in a downforce bracket 121 . in this embodiment cleaning brushes 102 contact the workpiece 25 with a pressure of about 0 . 5 to about 1 . 2 psi , although the pressure can range from about 0 psi to about 6 psi , depending on the cleaning application . in one embodiment , thrust bearing housing 123 is configured to move brush 102 of spaced - apart brush 21 a toward the opposing brush 102 with a downforce of about 1 psi . in a further embodiment of the invention , the pressure can be varied during a workpiece cleaning operation . for example , the pressure can be reduced in conjunction with a reversal of the relative differential rotational direction . in this embodiment , the workpiece is subjected to the cleaning process for about 30 seconds . the duration of the cleaning process may vary from about 20 to about 120 seconds , and in other embodiments it may vary , typically depending on the type of brushes being used , the cleaning fluid , the rotational velocity of the brush assemblies , the workpiece , etc . still further , the rotational velocity and pressure can be optimized for particular brush pads and cleaning applications . for example , these parameters can be controlled and adjusted one or more times during a single cleaning operation , for an optimal cleaning operation . [ 0034 ] fig5 is another embodiment that includes a first cleaning module 12 and a second cleaning module 14 . the cleaning modules are placed in echelon , having the same orientation as compared to previous embodiments , which were in opposition . in a further embodiment detailed in fig6 a controller 61 is used to communicate with the brush assemblies 21 and 22 . the controller 61 would cause the required motors to drive spaced - apart brushes 21 a , 21 b , 22 a , and 22 b of the assemblies to rotate and to contact the workpieces with a desired pressure , thereby causing the workpieces to rotate . the controller 61 could be configured to independently control the speed of each spaced - apart brush within brush assembly 21 or 22 . for example , the controller could cause each individual brush of a brush assembly to rotate in the same or opposite direction and with the same or different angular speed . the controller may also respond to input from sensors placed in the system to monitor ph , pressure , chemical concentration , speed , reflectivity , conductivity , motor current or other inputs as part of a closed loop control system . the controller 61 can be of any suitable type ranging from a manual controller to a controller using a microprocessor . other embodiments may use other types of controllers ( e . g ., sequential state machines or other combinatorial logic circuits ). [ 0036 ] fig7 is a schematic cross sectional side view of a dual wafer vertical cleaning apparatus according to another embodiment of the invention . in this embodiment , support rollers 27 support the workpieces 25 with at least one roller from each set of support rollers 27 in mechanical communication with a drive motor . the driven rollers cause the workpieces 25 to rotate through cleaning solution 26 contained within tanks 28 . in conjunction with the cleaning fluid 26 are megasonic transducers 29 located below the fluid level in each tank 28 and applying sonic pulses to assist in the cleaning . the result of this embodiment is brushless cleaning of the workpieces 25 . [ 0037 ] fig7 a illustrates an embodiment of mechanical communication between drive motor 113 and support roller 27 via drive shaft 71 . any number of support rollers can be mechanically driven by this method depending on the requirements of the application . other methods , which would produce acceptable cleaning results , can be used to provide drive to the support roller 27 so long as an acceptable cleaning results can be maintained . although the description above refers to cleaning wafers , other embodiments of the present invention can be adapted for cleaning other types of workpieces . for example , a workpiece may be semiconductor wafer , a bare silicon or other substrate with or without active apparatus or circuitry , a partially processed wafer , a silicon or insulator structure , a hybrid assembly , a flat panel display , a micro electromechanical structure ( mems ), a disk for a hard drive memory , or any other material that would benefit from cleaning or planarization such as mirrors , lenses or dishes . the above specification , examples and data provide a complete description of the manufacture and use of the composition of the invention . since many embodiments of the invention can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention , the invention resides in the claims hereinafter appended .
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in accordance with the methods of the invention , the administration of emollients is reduced by at least about 50 %, more preferably at least about 80 %, still more preferably at least about 90 %, even more preferably at least about 95 %, relative to the amount of application of emollients prior to treatment . in a particularly preferred embodiment , the administration of emollients is ceased altogether . as used herein , the term “ emollients ” includes lotions ; creams ; moisturizers ; oils ; ointments ; cocoa butter ; greases ; skin softeners ; soaps , shampoos , sunblocks , cosmetics and other products containing lotions , moisturizers or the like ; products containing “ slip ” ( a binder that allows pigment to slide across the skin ); and any other product that softens the skin or soothes irritation in the skin . the period of time over which the administration of emollients is reduced or ceased is preferably at least about 1 month , more preferably at least about 2 months , still more preferably at least about 3 months , even more preferably at least about 6 months , yet more preferably at least about 1 year . the reduction or cessation of the administration of emollients is preferably continued for as long as possible to minimize the possible recurrence of the atopic disorder . suitable antifungals for use in connection with the invention include griseofulvin ( such as fulvicin , commercially available from schering corporation , kenilworth , n . j . ); ketoconazole ( such as nizoral tables , commercially available from janssen pharmaceutica inc ., titusville , n . j . ); itraconazole ( such as sporanox , commercially available from janssen pharmaceutica inc . ); and fluconazole ( such as diflucan , commercially available from pfizer inc ., new york , n . y .). particularly preferred anti - fungals are fungicidals , such as terbinafine ( sold underthe name lamisil by novartis pharmaceuticals corporation , east hanover , n . j . ), naftifine , butemaifine , and amorolifine . the antifungal is preferably administered over a period of time of at least about 1 month , more preferably at least about2 months , still more preferably at least about3 months . preferablythe antifungal is administered to the patient in a dose ranging from about 10 mg to about 2000 mg per day , more preferably from about 250 mg to about 1000 mg per day . culture and sensitivity of the underlying lesion should determine the antibiotic . suitable antibiotics for use in connection with the present invention include ciprofloxacin ( such as cipro , commercially available from bayer corporation , west haven , conn . ); trovafloxacin mesylate ( such as trovan , commercially available from pfizer inc . ); clavulanate potassium , amoxicillin and combinations thereof ( such as augmentin , commercially available from smithkline beechm pharmaceuticals , philadelphia , pa . ); levofloxacin ( such as levaquin , commercially available from ortho - mcneil pharmaceuticals , raritan , n . j . ); cefuroxime ( such as cefin , commercially available from glaxo wellcome , research triangle park , n . c . ); clarithromycin ( such as biaxin , commercially available from abbott laboratories , north chicago , ill . ); tobramycin ( such as nebcin , commercially available from eli lilly , indianapolis , ind . ); azithromycin ( such as zithromax , commercially available from pfizer , new york , n . y . ); cephalexin ; cefixime ; cefpodoxime proxetil ; flurconazole ; trimethoprim ; and sulfamethaxazole . the antibiotic is preferably administered over a period of time of at least about i month , more preferably at least about 2 months , still more preferably at least about 3 months . if both an antifungal and an antibiotic are administered , the antibiotic is preferably administered over a period of time concurrent , at least in part , with the period of time over which the antifungal is administered . preferably the antibiotic is administered to the patient in a dose ranging from about 10 mg to about 2000 mg per day , more preferably from about 250 mg to about 1000 mg per day . the following examples describe case studies showing the effect of application of an emollient and the reduction thereof on atopic disorders . a male , 33 year old patient recalled his mother putting lotion on his skin every day until the age of ten , at which time he had terrible asthma . his parents separated and he went to live with his father . his father put no lotion on him and over a period of time his asthma disappeared . now in his 30 &# 39 ; s , the patient lives with his girlfriend who insists on putting lotion on his skin at every given opportunity . he now shows mildew on his elbows and knees and states that his sinuses are really “ playing - up .” he is starting to have asthma attacks once again . a male , 30 year old patient related that his mother put lotion on him everyday as a child , and he was continually being taken to the emergency room . at the age of seven or eight , his mother stopped putting lotions on him and at the age of approximately 14 , his asthma had gone away . when he started dating girls at 17 or 18 years of age , he started putting lotion on his skin again , and has had asthma ever since . a female , 38 year old patient indicated that her mother and her aunts all used lotion everyday and all had asthma . she could never remember a time in her life when her mother did not put lotion on her skin , a habit which she took over as she got older . she has four children , three of which she “ lotioned - up ” daily with great vigor . these three children developed asthma . the only time she had a remission at all from her illness was when she was a young teenager and during her third pregnancy , for reasons she did not understand . at the time of first consultation , she required four breathing treatments daily , with one occurring during the night . her peak flows were in the range of 80 . she was never without inhalers . she was attracted by the idea of giving up lotion altogether to save money and see what would happen . this patient did not take any antibiotics or antifungal medication . within weeks , her “ ash ” was falling off her skin and after six weeks , she went into her first remission in 14 years . peak flows went from 80 to 350 . she needed no more breathing treatments and rarely used an inhaler . a male , 30 year old patient had been free of asthma and rhinitis all of his life , when he started putting lotions on his face on a daily basis for months . he developed asthma about one year later . he stopped putting lotion on his face , and his asthma nearly went away . however , he still had his sinusitis . at rest his peak flow was 435 , but after albuterol and beclomethasone inhalers , it was a normal 570 . a female , 26 year old patient told of suffering from severe sinusitis and then asthma for months , yet physical examination showed no signs of tinea corporis . she stated she never put any lotions , etc . anywhere on her skin . when asked why her hair was so closely cropped , she related that she developed terrible psoriasis on her scalp when she switched her hair shampoo 2 years previously . examination showed she really suffered from tinea capitis . eight patients that skin fungal conditions were treated by administration of griseovulvin ( 500 mg , twice a day ) and an appropriate antibiotic chosen by the culture and sensitivity . most patients received an antihistamine for the first ten days to control itch . the patients ceased the use of lotions and other emollients , as well as the use of local and systemic corticosteroids . the results were impressive , as described below . patient a — as shown in fig1 a , patient a had “ dry skin ” syndrome fostered by years of skin care products . fig1 b , shows patient a after 35 days of treatment . although some white fungus can still be observed , the appearance of “ dry skin ” cleared up considerably . patient b — as shown in fig2 a , patient b was covered in fungus , and patient b had a bacterial infection . fig2 b shows patient b one week later , with the fungus having improved dramatically . patient c — patient c had spent almost 24 years visiting dermatologists in an attempt to clear his skin condition , as shown in fig3 a . upon culturing the fungus , we discovered it to be proteus . fig3 b shows patient c after treatment , with the fungus significantly improved . patient d — fig4 a shows the fungus on the back of patient d &# 39 ; s neck . this is believed to be a result of the use of shampoo and other hair products containing moisturizer . the products ran off the back of the patient &# 39 ; s hair and stayed on his neck , creating a fungus growth followed by a bacterial infection . fig4 b shows patient d after seven weeks , with the fungus growth significantly diminished . patient e — prior to treatment , patient e , an african american , was while over almost all of his body . fig5 a shows only patient e &# 39 ; s knee area , although his arms , hands , back , abdomen and neck were also all while . he also had a very severe case of itching , and he was put on 100 mg of diphenhydramine four times a day to help control his itch . fig5 b shows patient e in the sub - patella area after eleven weeks of treatment . the white skin shown in this photograph is actually scar tissue from years of scratching . patient f — patient f had a severe fungal conduction , as shown in fig6 a , and had been treated with lidex for twenty - eight years . after seven weeks of treatment , the fungas was improving and peeling off , as shown in fig6 b . patient g — patient g , shown in fig7 a , had the fungal infection tinea barbae , but had previously only been treated for acne . fig7 b shows patient g after seven weeks , with the fungal infection significantly cleared , although scars still remain . patient h — patient h , shown in fig8 a , had hair follicles that became infected by fungus . after nine weeks of treatment , his skin was dramatically improved , as shown in fig8 b . thirty - two randomly - selected successive asthma patients were treated by administration of griseovulvin ( 500 mg , twice a day ) and ciprofloxacin ( cipro , one double - strength tablet twice a day ). all of the patients ceased use of all lotions and other emollients during treatment . for each patient , peak flow measurements were taken using a peak flow meter , where a higher peak value typically indicates improved breathing . counts were taken of eosinophils , which secrete chemical mediators that can cause bronchoconstriction in asthma . counts were also taken of ige antibodies . the use of an inhaler by each patient was also monitored . patient 1 ( age 44 ) had been on prednisone until 6 weeks before treatment . peak ige inhaler use day flow eosinophils antibodies per day 1 240 270 260 1 14 360 1 19 620 0 peak ige inhaler use day flow eosinophils antibodies per day 1 450 2 14 600 0 19 620 0 patient 3 ( age 54 ) had been on prednisone for many years prior to treatment and undergone multiple hospitalizations for her asthma . during treatment , her dosage ednisone was slowly decreased . daily dose of prednisone peak ige inhaler use day ( mg ) flow eosinophils antibodies per day 1 40 370 6 - 8 13 5 240 5 20 7 . 5 400 3 26 3 . 3 380 2 32 2 . 5 450 1 peak ige inhaler use day flow eosinophils antibodies per day 1 550 322 214 1 8 630 0 15 650 0 peak ige inhaler use day flow eosinophils antibodies per day 1 160 3 4 320 2 patient 6 ( age 63 ) had been on prednisone for most of the fifteen years preceding treatment , had previously been in the intensive care unit , and had been hospitalized over sixty times for asthma prior to treatment . peak ige inhaler use day flow eosinophils antibodies per day 1 230 912 530 6 21 450 561 764 4 25 530 179 3 32 750 176 3 43 710 2 patient 7 ( age 50 ) had been in the intensive care unit four times for asthma prior to treatment . peak ige inhaler use day flow eosinophils antibodies per day 1 340 256 2 7 440 1 14 500 1 peak ige inhaler use day flow eosinophils antibodies per day 1 455 3 8 540 0 patient 9 ( age 50 ) had been in the intensive care unit four times for asthma prior to treatment . peak ige inhaler use day flow eosinophils antibodies per day 1 340 256 65 2 7 440 1 14 500 85 1 peak ige inhaler use day flow eosinophils antibodies per day 1 349 352 3 8 550 1 patient 11 ( age 42 ) had been in the emergency room three times and the hospital twice for asthma prior to treatment . peak ige inhaler use day flow eosinophils antibodies per day 1 480 70 140 3 16 430 0 patient 12 ( age 39 ) had been in the intensive care unit and hospital prior to treatment . peak ige inhaler use day flow eosinophils antibodies per day 1 180 322 169 2 14 460 0 patient 13 ( age 30 ) had been in the emergency room five times for asthma prior to treatment . peak ige inhaler use day flow eosinophils antibodies per day 1 250 246 285 2 21 480 0 peak ige inhaler use day flow eosinophils antibodies per day 1 485 8 30 540 50 580 90 570 110 620 130 635 0 140 620 150 640 170 620 330 650 370 640 0 patient 15 ( age 27 ) had polydermaphytis and nasal and perioral rash with green sputum . peak ige inhaler use day flow eosinophils antibodies per day 1 360 432 31 0 9 480 0 patient 16 ( age 67 ) had forty emergency room visits and ten hospitalizations for asthma prior to treatment . peak ige inhaler use day flow eosinophils antibodies per day 1 250 767 750 12 6 370 1 9 320 845 611 1 12 400 1 patient 17 ( age 23 ) has multiple emergency room visits prior to treatment . on day 30 of treatment , patient 11 walked in and announced , “ i am cured .” patient 11 &# 39 ; s age and size matched a mean peak flow of 590 . peak ige inhaler use day flow eosinophils antibodies per day 1 280 477 161 4 30 770 301 98 0 44 750 0 patient 18 ( age 45 ) has been in the intensive care unit three times for asthma prior to treatment . peak ige inhaler use day flow eosinophils antibodies per day 1 370 141 3 7 420 1 patient 19 ( age 24 ) had made nearly two hundred emergency room visits for asthma prior to treatment . peak ige inhaler use day flow eosinophils antibodies per day 1 280 447 5 8 460 4 patient 20 ( age 25 ) had been in the emergency room twice and the intensive care unit once for asthma prior to treatment . peak ige inhaler use day flow eosinophils antibodies per day 1 310 128 108 3 14 500 2 peak ige inhaler use day flow eosinophils antibodies per day 1 440 341 115 2 7 530 1 14 540 0 patient 22 ( age 38 ) had five emergency room visits for asthma priorto treatment . peak ige inhaler use day flow eosinophils antibodies per day 1 250 246 285 2 27 480 1 patient 23 ( age 23 ) had been in the emergency room twice and the intensive care unit once for asthma prior to treatment . peak ige inhaler use day flow eosinophils antibodies per day 1 380 3350 5 3 470 3 6 530 1 patient 24 ( age 36 ) had been hospitalized twice and in the intensive care unit once for asthma prior to treatment . peak ige inhaler use day flow eosinophils antibodies per day 1 280 186 501 2 7 500 1 14 620 405 555 0 patient 25 ( age 18 ) had made an emergency room visit for asthma prior to treatment . peak ige inhaler use day flow eosinophils antibodies per day 1 450 2 8 660 1 patient 26 ( age 27 ) had made three emergency room visits for asthma prior to treatment . peak ige inhaler use day flow eosinophils antibodies per day 1 270 192 220 4 7 430 2 peak ige inhaler use day flow eosinophils antibodies per day 1 550 4 7 590 282 230 2 14 780 565 202 0 25 760 0 patient 28 ( age 48 ) had made five emergency room visits and been in the intensive care unit three times for asthma prior to treatment . peak ige inhaler use day flow eosinophils antibodies per day 1 230 154 1 8 290 0 patient 29 ( age 28 ) had multiple hospitalizations for asthma prior to treatment . peak ige inhaler use day flow eosinophils antibodies per day 1 460 2 7 500 1 peak ige inhaler use day flow eosinophils antibodies per day 1 420 114 18 4 7 550 3 14 550 3 21 560 13 2 patient 31 ( age 21 ) had been in the emergency room nearly fifty times and hospitalized nearly eighty times for asthma prior to treatment . peak ige inhaler use day flow eosinophils antibodies per day 1 350 352 104 4 16 610 200 2 patient 32 ( age 21 ) had been in the emergency room five times and hospitalized ten times for asthma prior to treatment . peak ige inhaler use day flow eosinophils antibodies per day 1 380 202 39 4 14 540 0
| 8 |
turning attention now to the drawings , and referring first of all to fig1 and 2 , illustrated generally at 10 in fig1 is pair of foot barrier sheets 10 a , 10 b which , as illustrated in fig1 , have perimetral outlines that possess essentially left - foot and right - foot outlines , respectively . the “ toe ends ” of these sheets are shown pointing upwardly in fig1 . barrier sheet 10 b , which is to be applied to the underside ( sole ) of the right foot of a user , is shown in cross section in fig2 on a scale which is significantly larger than that employed in fig1 . fig2 specifically illustrates that each of these barrier sheets is formed with an underlayer , preferably , of a gossamer - thin , flexible and drapey sheet material , such as the commercially available material sold under the trademark tyvek ® 10 c , the upper surface , or face , 10 c 1 of which , i . e ., the intended foot - attaching adhesion surface , or face , being suitably coated with what is known as a low - tack , repositionable adhesive film 10 d . the adhesive making up film 10 d is preferably very much like the low tack , repositionable adhesive employed on the well - known product made by 3m sold under the trademark post it ®. a preference for gossamer thinness in the basic material of the foot barrier sheet of this invention is important for several reasons . first of all , substantial thinness minimizes the amount of material which is employed in the structure of such a sheet , and thus minimizes manufacturing cost and acceptable sale price . such gossamer thinness also cooperates with the use of the mentioned low - tack , repositionable adhesive , whereby , when a sheet has been applied to the underside of a foot , and then stood upon , the sheet tends to deform quite easily to increase the foot - sole bonding - surface area by deforming readily on the underside of a foot , thereby bringing a larger surface area of the coating adhesive into contact with either the bare bottom of the foot , or a stocking or a sock . another important consideration , of course , is that the specific material chosen for use is one which truly will act as a barrier to pathogenic contamination regarding anything stood upon during use of the sheet . a further important consideration is that , despite its thinness , the basic barrier sheet material must have enough structural strength so as not to come apart , to shred , or to tear during short periods of use . this consideration is probably best met by a material which includes internal reinforcing fibers . the mentioned tyvek ® commercially available product is quite suitable in all of these regards . it is also available in relatively quite thin expanses having a thickness which may preferably lie in the range of about 3 - mils to about 6 - mils . the adhesive coating , such as coating , or film , 10 d , which is applied to the intended upper surface ( adhesion face 10 c 1 ) of a barrier sheet made in accordance with the present invention may be applied in any suitable manner , such as by spraying , by roll - coating , etc . and , as was mentioned earlier herein , this adhesive also preferably lies in the category of adhesives known as re - positionable , low - tack adhesives , such as that which is employed in the earlier - mentioned post it ® product made by 3m . where barrier sheets are made specifically shaped for left - foot and right - foot use , it is , of course , important that the distributed adhesive lie on the appropriate side for left - foot , and right - foot applications . when barrier sheets , like those shown in fig1 and 2 , are ready for use , they are quickly applied , as is generally indicated by arrows 12 in fig3 , to the underside ( the sole ) of a shoe - free foot , by quickly and gently “ slapping ” the sheets into place . initial contact with the foot sole is likely to create only a limited amount of adhesion area contact , and this condition is illustrated quite clearly in fig3 at a and b . when , as illustrated by arrows 17 in fig4 , a user steps down onto a floor surface , such as the airport security - screening floor surface shown at 14 a for floor 14 in fig4 , a surface which , in this figure , is covered with a carpet , such as that shown at 16 , the region of compression between the floor carpet and the underside of a foot causes a natural deformation to occur in the applied barrier sheet , whereby the area of adhesion contact with the foot increases substantially . this condition is shown very clearly in fig4 in the drawings , and is of course promoted by the quality of gossamer thinness preferably present in the foot - applied barrier sheets of the invention . a similar situation of increased adhesion - contact area between an attached barrier sheet and the sole of a foot occurs when what is stepped down upon by a foot is an uncarpeted surface structure . this is true because of compression flattening of the foot sole which takes place under such a circumstance to enlarge the sole / barrier - sheet contact interface . with the barrier sheets of this invention thus adhesion - applied as just discussed , the wearer walks through the security screening area with that wearer &# 39 ; s feet essentially completely protected against pathogen through - contamination from the floor . when the wearer regains possession of removed shoes , the barrier sheets are quickly , easily and carefully ( in order to avoid contact with any contaminant ) peeled away in favor of putting one &# 39 ; s shoes back on , and the used barrier sheets are then preferably thrown away . whether not a user elects to keep these sheets for possible future use is purely a matter of user choice , though it should be understood that they are intended to be treated as single - use , discardable products , inasmuch as , once used , they may well have picked up an unwanted contaminant . in fig5 and 6 , two modified forms of barrier sheets are shown generally at 18 , 20 , respectively . the two sheets shown at 18 in fig5 have an elongate , ovate shape , whereas the different sheets shown at 20 in fig6 have an elongate , rectangular shape . what will be noticed immediately about the invention modifications shown in fig5 and 6 is that the sheets shown here do not possess a left - foot / right - foot characteristic , and this means that only a single sheet shape is required . additionally , the rectangular sheets shown at 20 in fig6 , because of their rectangularity , probably make the most economic use of the basic bulk sheet material from which these sheets are preferably made . in other words , if a foot barrier sheet is to be cut from a starting sheet of bulk material , the sheet illustrated in fig6 can be produced leaving little or no waste material . there are many ways in which foot barrier sheets made in accordance with this invention may be sold or vended to a user , and fig7 ( below discussed ) illustrates , very simply and schematically , one of such ways . these sheets may preferably be made purchasable directly within airports , and even at locations therein which are immediately adjacent where passenger security screening takes place . in fig7 , a coin - operated , or credit - card - operated , vending machine is shown generally at 22 , with this machine being provided with a suitable and conventional payment - input structure pictured generally at 22 a . in the dispensing approach illustrated in this figure , individual , or side - by - side pairs of , foot barrier sheets are dispensed through a machine opening 22 b from a vending coil 24 which is elongate , and which includes a large plurality of vendible sheets . thus , the present invention provides a very simple , unique , and elegant anti - contamination , anti - pathogen , foot barrier sheet , ( a ) suitable for convenient and very effective throw - away use , ( b ) structured of a material which can quickly and easily be adhered ( for later simple removal ) to the underside of a foot , and ( c ) capable of providing positive anti - contamination barriering as described earlier herein . these sheets may be made of relatively inexpensive material which is lightweight enough to have the quality of gossamer thinness for the reasons stated above . the specific sheet material employed preferably not only will function well as a anti - contamination barrier for the underside of a foot , but it will also be sufficiently strong , as by possessing internal reinforcing fibers , so that is will “ hang together ” during the expected very brief periods of underfoot wearing use . accordingly , while a preferred embodiment , and certain of modifications , of the present invention have been described herein , it is appreciated that variations and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention .
| 0 |
a gas bag 10 is part of a restraint system and is accommodated in the steering wheel , or in the instrument panel and dashboard 12 , respectively . the steering wheel is shown schematically and designated by “ l ” in fig1 . a small or large vehicle occupant 14 and 14 ′, respectively , sits on a vehicle seat 16 and in the case of restraint is in contact with the unfolded gas bag 10 which is embodied here as a front gas bag . inside this gas bag 10 , limiting straps 18 are provided , which are fastened at one end of a bowden cable 20 , the other end of which is coupled with the vehicle seat 16 . the limiting straps 18 are fastened in particular to the section of the gas bag inner wall 22 with which the occupant 14 , 14 ′ comes into contact . advantageously the bowden cable runs from the seat towards the instrument panel or dashboard 12 and behind the latter upwards to the gas bag arrangement accommodated in the instrument panel 12 or in the steering wheel . in the case of restraint , through the unfolding of the gas bag 10 an opening is created in the instrument panel 12 or in the steering wheel , so that a direct linear connection exists between the bowden cable 20 and the limiting straps 18 . the limiting straps 18 together with the bowden cable 20 form a gas bag delimiting device which variably delimits the maximum unfolding distance of the gas bag towards the occupant as a function of the seat position , or , as is subsequently further explained , in addition as a function of the position of the upper body of the occupant . the maximum unfolding distance of the gas bag is designated by s max in fig1 . a vehicle occupant 14 with small body size normally sets the distance of the vehicle seat 16 to the steering wheel 12 ( pos . 1 ) smaller than a large vehicle occupant 14 ′ ( pos . 2 ). the difference in the distance of the seat position is designated by d . as a function of how far the seat 16 is pushed forward or backward , the limiting straps 18 are also pushed by the bowden cable 20 , coupled with the seat 16 , to a greater or lesser extent into the steering wheel or the instrument panel 12 . as the limiting straps 18 delimit the maximum unfolding distance of the gas bag towards the occupant , via the bowden cable the length of the section of the limiting straps 18 situated in the gas bag 10 is altered and coordinated with the seat position . in the case of a small vehicle occupant 14 , who pushes his seat 16 further forward , the length of the limiting strap section inside the gas bag is very short . the unfolding distance of the gas bag and the gas bag depth thereby also become less , and - the gas bag can not strike onto the occupant at high speed . the gas bag also has a slightly smaller volume than in the case of the large occupant 14 ′. with the small occupant 14 , the gas bag is illustrated by continuous lines in fig1 . if a large vehicle occupant 14 ′ pushes the seat 16 into the rear position 2 , through the bowden cable the limiting strap section is automatically extended inside the gas bag 10 , so that the gas bag 10 can unfold to a different geometry ( shown in dotted lines ) with a different gas bag depth than with a small vehicle occupant 14 . the gas bag thus also guarantees to the large occupant an optimum restraining effect . an electronic coupling is also conceivable between the position of the vehicle seat 16 and the limiting strap position , the seat position being detected by a sensor 22 and a mechanism 24 for example in the form of a step motor drive 24 arranged for example behind the instrument panel and controlling the position or the length of the limiting straps 18 by winding up or unwinding the limiting straps . the sensor 22 and the drive 24 are electrically coupled via wires 26 and a control unit 28 . it is likewise conceivable to detect the position of the vehicle occupant 14 , 14 ′ directly , independently of the position of the vehicle seat 16 , by means of sensors ( not . illustrated ) arranged inside the vehicle , and to adapt the position or the length of the limiting strap 18 , for example with each alteration , electronically to the respective distance of the vehicle occupant 14 , 14 ′ from the gas bag arrangement . this is advantageous for example in order to avoid injuries by the gas bag , when a vehicle occupant 14 , 14 ′ bends forward , in order for example to reach the radio or the glove compartment and in this situation an accident triggers the unfolding of the gas bag 10 . the seat adjustment in this case determines the coarse adjustment and the occupant position determines the fine adjustment of the belt delimiting device .
| 1 |
an apparatus 100 comprising a first embodiment of the invention is shown in fig1 . the apparatus 100 is a universal adaptor for electric wall sockets . the apparatus 100 includes a case 102 . the case 102 has a detent button 104 along one side . the front of the case 102 defines a generally circular shaped socket 106 . the edge of the socket 106 has a first and a second notch , 110 and 112 respectively . the first notch 110 is shaped as a half circle . the second notch 112 is shaped as a rectangle . the inner portion of the side of the socket 106 has a first and second groove , 114 and 116 respectively . only the second groove 116 is visible in fig1 . the first groove 114 extends along the side of the socket 106 from the first notch 110 . the second groove 116 extends along the side of the socket 106 from the second notch 112 . a latch 118 is located in the second groove 116 . a circular array of three electrical contacts 120 is arranged in the socket 106 . the contacts 120 are equidistant from the inside edge of the socket 106 and extend out from the bottom 122 of the socket 106 . [ 0025 ] fig2 is a front view of an adaptor plug 130 . the adaptor plug 130 has an adaptor body 132 configured to mate with the socket 106 . the adaptor body 132 has a first and a second protrusion , 134 and 136 respectively . the first protrusion 134 is has the shape of a flat half circle and is configured to engage with the first notch 110 . the second protrusion 136 has the shape of a flat rectangle and is configured to engage the second notch 112 . both the first and second protrusions , 134 and 136 , are configured to slidably engage the first and the second groove , 114 and 116 , respectively . further , the first and second protrusions , 134 and 136 , are configured so that they cannot engage the first and second notches , 110 and 112 , in any reverse order . for example , the first protrusion 134 cannot fit into the second notch 112 . alternate embodiments include multiple notches that respectively mate with multiple protrusions . the adaptor plug 130 includes three wall socket prongs 138 . the three plugs 138 extend out from the front the adaptor body 132 . [ 0026 ] fig3 is a rear view of the adaptor plug 130 shown in fig2 . the adaptor plug 130 has three receiving slots 139 in the rear of the adaptor body 132 . the receiving slots 139 are each configured to slidably receive a corresponding one of the three electrical contacts 120 . [ 0027 ] fig4 through 6 show perspective views of exemplary adaptor plugs that are interchangeable and can be engaged with the socket 106 . specifically , fig4 shows a perspective view of the adaptor plug 130 shown in fig2 and 3 . the adaptor plug 130 has three wall socket prongs 138 for use in united kingdom style wall sockets found in the united kingdom and the like . it is also for use with wall sockets configured to receive type d plugs . [ 0028 ] fig5 shows an adaptor plug 150 . the adaptor plug 150 has prongs 152 for use in north american style wall sockets found in north america and the like . it is also for use with wall sockets configured to receive type n plugs . the adaptor plug 150 also has a grounding post 154 . fig6 shows an adaptor plug 160 . the adaptor plug 160 has prongs 162 for use in european style wall sockets found in europe and the like . it is also for use with wall sockets configured to receive type b plugs . adaptor plugs of fig5 and 6 have many parts that are substantially the same as corresponding parts of the adaptor plug 130 shown in fig2 through 3 . however , the adaptor plugs of fig5 and 6 differ from the adaptor plug 130 in that they are configured to mate with wall sockets having different configurations than the united kingdom style wall sockets found in the united kingdom and the like . [ 0029 ] fig7 shows a side view of the adaptor plug 130 shown in fig2 . fig8 shows a view of the adaptor plug 130 shown in fig7 along the line a - a . the receiving slots 139 are visible in the cutaway view shown in fig8 . a corresponding electrical contact 180 is disposed over each end of one of the receiving slots 139 . each of the three electrical contacts 180 are configured to make an electrical connection with a corresponding one of the three electrical contacts 120 when the adaptor plug 130 is fully engaged in the socket 106 . each electrical contact 120 is in electrical communication with a corresponding one of the three wall socket prongs 138 . [ 0030 ] fig9 shows the apparatus 100 assembled with the adaptor plug 130 . the adaptor plug 130 engages the apparatus 100 as shown . a side view of the apparatus 100 assembled with the adaptor plug 130 engaged in the socket 106 is shown in fig1 . fig1 shows a cutaway view of the apparatus 100 of fig1 along the line b - b . the detent button 104 is on the side of the case 102 and couples with the lever 182 . the lever 182 is configured to pivot around a pivot structure 184 . the lever 182 has a catch 186 that is configured to engage the adaptor body 132 . a linear spring 188 biases the lever 182 against the detent button 104 . fig1 also shows the fasteners 190 that are configured to attach the front and back portions of the case 102 together . an electrical outlet 192 is located at the bottom of the case 102 . during use , one of the adaptor plugs of the present invention , for example the adaptor plug 130 , is oriented with the socket 106 . the first protrusion 134 , which has the shape of a flat half circle , is oriented with the first notch 110 . the second protrusion 136 , which has the shape of a flat rectangle , is oriented with the second notch 112 . the adaptor plug 130 is then inserted into the socket 106 until it is seated at the bottom 122 of the socket 106 . the electrical contacts 120 , which extend out from the bottom 122 of the socket 106 , protrude through the receiving slots 139 . the adaptor plug 130 is then turned approximately one quarter of its circumference . the turning slides the first and the second protrusions , 134 and 136 , along the first and the second grooves , 114 and 116 , respectively . the lever 182 engages the adaptor body 132 when the first and the second protrusions , 134 and 136 , are moved to the end of the first and the second grooves , 114 and 116 , thereby releasably locking the adaptor plug 130 into place in the socket 106 . [ 0033 ] fig1 shows an electrical block diagram 300 of the apparatus 100 . a fuse 302 is situated between , and is in electrical communication with , an input voltage source 304 and an electrical filter 306 . a rectifier 310 couples the electrical filter 306 to a direct current ( dc ) transformer 312 . the dc transformer 312 couples a top switch feedback - loop 316 and an output - rectified filter 318 . the output - rectified filter 318 couples to a dc - dc converter 320 which , in turn , couples to an output filter 322 . the outlet filter 322 couples with an output 324 . a voltage and current feedback controller 326 couples to the dc - dc converter 320 . during operation , an alternating electrical current ( ac ) is supplied to the apparatus 100 from the input source 304 . generally , this is achieved by plugging the assembled apparatus 100 into a wall socket . the fuse 302 protects the apparatus 100 from electrical surges from the input source 304 . the filter 306 cleans the input electrical signal . the rectifier 310 converts the ac current signal to a substantially dc current signal having a low current dc signal to a low voltage and capable of delivering a high current dc signal . the top switch feedback - loop 316 maintains the dc voltage output from the transformer 312 within a constant range of voltage . the output - rectified filter 318 separates any noise from the low voltage , high current dc signal that may have been generated by the dc transformer 312 . the dc - dc converter 320 converts the low voltage , high current dc signal to a lower voltage signal . this lower voltage signal is passed through the output filter 322 . the output filter 322 filters noise from the lower voltage signal and passes the lower voltage signal to the output 324 . the voltage and current feedback controller 326 maintains a constant current and regulates the output voltage . the electrical output from the apparatus 100 is used to recharge batteries or provide power in real time to an electronic device . examples of such electronic devices include cellular phones , digital wireless phones , 1 - way pagers , 1½ - way pagers , 2 - way pagers , electronic mail appliances , internet appliances , personal digital assistants ( pda ), laptop computers , and portable digital audio players . an apparatus 500 comprising a second embodiment of the invention is shown in fig1 . the apparatus 500 has many parts that are substantially the same as corresponding parts of the apparatus 100 described above . this is indicated by the use of the same reference numbers for such corresponding parts in fig1 and fig1 . however , the apparatus 500 has a detent button 502 , similar to the detent button 104 , but located on the front face of the case 102 . the location of the detent button 502 on the front face of the case 102 result in the detent button 502 not being accessible while the apparatus 500 is electrically connected with a wall socket , ( i . e ., plugged into the wall socket ). [ 0037 ] fig1 is a cutaway view of the apparatus 500 of fig1 along the line c - c . an electrical plug outlet 510 is located at the bottom of the case 102 . the outlet 502 is configured to communicate with a cable , not shown . in turn , the cable allows the apparatus 500 to communicate with a handheld device , thus providing the device with a supply of power . as will be appreciated , the invention is capable of other and different embodiments and its several embodiments are capable of modifications in various respects , all without departing from the invention . accordingly , the drawings and description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not restrictive .
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referring to fig1 , for simplifying the task of laying out a number of complex business applications into coherent focus areas , a context - based application design concept is enabled by offering pre - defined contextual floor plans for most common types of work context . a contextual floor plan 1 includes of a left hand contextual panel 2 that provides consistent navigation and access to contextual actions and views , and a right hand container or content area 3 for launching such views and actions in - place . the floor plan 1 provides a consistent interaction paradigm for many fundamental context types that are typically found in a business application . in particular , the right hand container 3 is arranged to provide a user interface ( ui ) to a number of context archetypes that reflect the most common work contexts . some of them are activity oriented and others are work instance oriented . in particular , these archetypes can be categorized as follows : activity - centric contexts . this context is driven by a role , topic , task , or event that triggered this activity . depending on the specific type , certain actions and resources are meaningful to this context and can be pre - configured as a context template . activity - centric contexts usually have typical views like work lists , work status dashboards , resources , participants , and so forth . object - centric contexts . this context is determined by an object instance and includes related object operations as well as views on all facets on the object . different job roles may be interested in different facets of the same object type . process - centric contexts . this context is a workflow instance . most actions are executed as predefined process steps . because of the nature of workflow , selected steps may be owned by different users . in work instance oriented contexts , a number of views or perspectives is presented , showing various aspects of a particular business situation , in particular , a particular object instance related to the situation or a particular process instance related to the situation . views are not transactional . they do not need any “ close ”, “ cancel ”, or “ done ” buttons . however , they may include functions within their ui that launch transactional actions . views always stay within the same context . the user experience is not navigation , but rather , changing the perspective . within a single context , a user can switch to different views for different purposes of assessing the context as is fully described below . in contrast , in activity - oriented work contexts , a user role is central of a specific user who has to perform certain activities in a certain work context . in addition , certain activities , while not directly related to a specific role in the organization , can be centralized around a specific business situation that arises , such as exception handling or other incidental tasks that may have to be performed in a business . rather than being assigned to certain job roles of users in a business and the bundle of tasks related to the job roles , these contexts can model an ad - hoc activity space that is focused on a specific business problem or a specific task . in browsing such a context , the context panel 2 lists actions that are relevant for the current work context . in contrast to views , actions are transactional and may even point to another related work context . whenever possible , actions should be launched “ in - place ” in the right hand container as described below . for example , a product manager may work in the context of one particular product or one particular product concept . inspecting one particular product can be considered as an object - centric work focus . however , the development of a new product concept is driven by a well defined process that models best practices and has stages and gates . the dominant focus in this case is on the process . in addition , the product manager is responsible for monitoring sales performance and is therefore from time to time doing market analysis . this is a work context that is driven by a role responsibility and is not focusing on a particular object or process instance . it is , therefore , a general activity centric context . in fig2 an object instance view 4 is shown that provides a view on one specific object instance . in this view , different facets of the business object are presented . in addition , possible actions that are listed are actions related to this object . the object instance view 4 , as a contextual view , can be activated from either an overview screen ( not shown ) presenting various selectable context views or through an object lookup action wherein certain object characteristics are input for looking up the object . in an object instance view , the focus lies on a concrete instance , the user operates on one particular instance of a business object . in the object - centered mode — the object instance view , the user may choose between different views ( perspectives ) on a concrete instance of a business object including a “ fact sheet ”- like overview 5 and detailed views of different facets of the object . all functionality to manipulate and act on the object is provided . according to the contextual views user interface layout , the object action pattern &# 39 ; s layout features a contextual panel 2 ( cp ) with an area for the instance identifier 6 , global instance - related and action - related contextual ( secondary ) actions 7 , as well as a content area 3 , which displays the object &# 39 ; s facets , or actions as chosen from the contextual panel or from within a preceding action screen . in particular , in fig2 a fact sheet view of an object action pattern is shown . in the object instance view , different perspectives on the object can be presented : a class name view displays the master data of this object type . if required those data may be grouped into several tabs . a summary view displays a snapshot of this object with the most essential data . this is analogous to a fact sheet or the overview page . it should inform the user about the basic facts and state of the object . a status view provides status indicators as well analytics about this object . a facet view provides specific perspectives on the object that represent a type of sub - activity . when users switch to a facet they also focus on managing a specific sub - aspect of the object . which of these views are appropriate to include into the object instance view depends on the characteristics of the particular object type . in addition to the fact sheet view , a main data view provides access to the main data of an object . if the amount of data does not fit on one screen , those data can be grouped by topic or any other intuitive category and displayed on tabs . while the fact sheet is for quick inspection and not for editing , this view is a read and write view to maintain the main data of the object instance — typically the master data . object - specific perspective views can be presented as “ facet views ”. for complex objects , such additional views may be implemented , each representing a facet of the object . for example , foreign key relationships to other objects are candidates to let users manage such related data within a separate view . for example , all orders related to a supplier , or all attachments related to a product concept would be candidates for facets . such additional views are justified if the views represent a primary facet of the object with related actions . in other words , the facet becomes a sub - activity area for one particular aspect of the object . a facet of an object - centric view could be other documents related to the primary object . these other documents are shown in the content area , when clicking on the corresponding view . in addition , occasional tasks should be implemented as “ you can ” actions . referring to fig3 , a process instance view 8 enables an overview on the process in form of phases and steps , and several status views on the process instance . in this view a series of predetermined process steps ( also referred to as guided procedures ) are used for managing collaborative procedures that are defined in form of workflow model and context information . in particular , in this view , the contextual panel 2 contains an instance identifier 6 , a views area 9 , and a guided procedure step tree 10 . the content area 3 features top to bottom the following elements : the phase indicator 11 and the status bar 12 as well as the area 13 containing the action , which takes up most of the screen real estate . in this guided procedures view different perspectives are presented on the process or its objects : the “ phases and steps ” process view 14 shows each step for the current phase ; when selected , the corresponding action is shown in the content area . this view supports the user in working through the steps of the process . the overview 15 shows all phases with all their steps , the current status , and the owner of the step on one page . the overview gives at - a - glance information about the status of the procedure and its objects . the contributors 16 view shows all contributors involved in the procedure , which parts of the process they are involved in , and what their contributions are . collaboration features in this view allow users to get in touch quickly with other contributors , push information to them , or replace them with someone else if need be . the deliverables 17 view lists all output of each step that has been completed so far . this view is particularly beneficial for processes that orient themselves around deliverables tracking rather than a timeline or sequence of steps to complete . additionally , a timeline view ( not shown ) may show the procedure along a timeline , making due dates and time frames more prominent . this view is particularly beneficial when milestones and deadlines are the focus . besides the standard overview of “ phase and steps ” 14 that is guiding the user though the process , additional standard views can be provided for tracking the progress , for collaborating among all contributors , and for managing the proves by deliverables . for example , the deliverables view 17 provides functions to track and manage deliverables that are associated with a process instance . the view lists the status , and the responsible user . the view also supports related tasks like task assignment and document check in and versioning control . in addition , the contributors view 16 opens a list of all the people participating in a given process instance . it offers related ad - hoc collaboration tools to coordinate and communicate with all participants . a process owner can assign tasks to selected users as well as add and remove contributors and assess a single person &# 39 ; s contribution to the overall process . fig4 illustrates an example of a contextual view with an activity centric context , wherein the screen is illustrated as a template having generic controls . when instantiated , these controls are “ filled ” with relevant data from an activity context . these views are referenced as work centers since these are activity - centric places that provide all services necessary to accomplish a set of coherent actions belonging to one of the user &# 39 ; s roles . like switching rooms in a house , each work center 18 serves a different role by providing all relevant views for tracking , analyzing , and monitoring work . the left - hand pane of the work center 18 is as each contextual view provided by a contextual panel 2 and contains standard tools and functions for controlling the interface and accessing work objects . in addition , the right pane 3 provides a place to do the action selected on the left . like work centers , ad - hoc activity centers are activity - centric places that bundle functions required to accomplish a business goal . but in contrast to work centers , it does not reflect a bundle of tasks related to job roles , but rather models an ad - hoc activity space that is focused on a specific business problem or a specific task . activity centers are instances of complex tasks that require a persistent activity space to accomplish the task . examples of ad - hoc activity centers are problem resolutions spaces that require some long running processes for diagnostic purposes and that resolution strategies that are not just a one click actions but a process in its own . for example , let &# 39 ; s assume that a person is monitoring invalid invoices and receives an exception notification in his or her inbox . when opening the notification message , an ad - hoc activity center is launched that offers within its contextual panel 2 various options to inspect and resolve the problem . from the interaction design point of view , work centers and activity centers are almost identical except that activity centers include options and actions that may close the entire activity center or change the status of it . depending on the complexity of a task , exception , or work item , it may or may not be appropriate to model the resolution as an activity center . it may also be adequate to design a quick action that just lets the user choose between a limited set of option or asks the user to enter new data in order to solve a problem . for example , a simple approval request only requires a simple one - screen interactive message and not a complex activity center . in the context of activities whether ad - hoc or relating to a work center , most views are providing work support like work trigger management : parsing business related work items , exceptions , requests , tasks and react to them in an appropriate way status tracking : monitoring important business activities , pending ad - hoc processes , tasks in work by means of textual or graphical status displays . time management : getting a consolidated overview about any time - related business event in order to schedule and plan activities . activity management : accessing and overseeing standard work contexts ( work centers deployed as work sets ) and personal work contexts ( ad - hoc activity centers instantiated by users ) service gallery : accessing self - services , procedures , or reports from a single place . as described above , single actions are launched in - place wherever possible . the idea is that once users launched a new work context , they continue to work within this context without leaving this context . this user experience is achieved by keeping the contextual panel 2 constant and launching the activities in - place in the right hand service container . within the contextual navigation concept , such actions should run in - place next to the contextual panel 2 as long as they are not sovereign applications that need full screen real - estate . the idea is that actions can be re - used as task building blocks in any context . the action framework handles the actual interaction with a single service or software application . its design depends very much on the specific content of the application , but the action framework standardizes the basic appearance and details of actions . a simple action . this is a one - screen service that is focused on one work intent . it features standard title elements that describes this action &# 39 ; s intent in form of a verb - noun phrase . the action &# 39 ; s intent should be explained in a one sentence phrase below the title . a guided action . the “ guided action ” action floor plan is a framework for navigating through a sequence of screens . guided actions either sequentialize user interface interaction into smaller chunks , or concatenate several stand - alone actions into a composite action . referring to fig5 , a number of appearances are illustrated for the contextual panel . these panels have a consistent structure , with defined elements that repeat across the different context types . but depending on the context archetype , the information architecture of the contextual panel 2 is slightly different . in particular , ( a ) shows a contextual panel for an activity center , ( b ) shows a contextual panel for an object instance view and ( c ) shows a contextual panel for a process instance view . in all cases , the contextual panel provides view switches to select different facets of the current work context . they are a toolset to divide complex function into several intuitive chunks . the switches navigate between different views of the same context . each view , when activated , may replace subordinate content in the context panel , the related actions for example . although the same generic control and layout is used , the exact semantics vary depending on the type of work context . as described with reference to fig4 in conjunction with ( a ) in fig5 , the activity - centric views represent generic perspectives on work and are focused on one particular work role of a user using the user interface . they also may represent secondary activity centers that require their own set of actions . as described with reference to fig2 in conjunction with ( b ) in fig5 , object - centric views provide different views on a given object . they entirely depend on the type of object and reflect natural perspectives on that object . each perspective may come with its own set of actions and by that represents a little activity center with focus on one concrete object instance . as described with reference to fig3 in conjunction with ( c ) in fig5 , process instance views provide are generic process tracking and execution views provided by the guided procedure framework . those views can be extended by tailored views depending on the semantics of the procedure . embodiments of the invention can be implemented in digital electronic circuitry , or in computer hardware , firmware , software , or in combinations of them . embodiments of the invention can be implemented as a computer program product , i . e ., a computer program tangibly embodied in an information carrier , e . g ., in a machine readable storage device or in a propagated signal , for execution by , or to control the operation of , data processing apparatus , e . g ., a programmable processor , a computer , or multiple computers . a computer program can be written in any form of programming language , including compiled or interpreted languages , and it can be deployed in any form , including as a stand alone program or as a module , component , subroutine , or other unit suitable for use in a computing environment . a computer program can be deployed to be executed on one computer or on multiple computers at one site or distributed across multiple sites and interconnected by a communication network . method steps of embodiments of the invention can be performed by one or more programmable processors executing a computer program to perform functions of the invention by operating on input data and generating output . method steps can also be performed by , and apparatus of the invention can be implemented as , special purpose logic circuitry , e . g ., an fpga ( field programmable gate array ) or an asic ( application specific integrated circuit ). processors suitable for the execution of a computer program include , by way of example , both general and special purpose microprocessors , and any one or more processors of any kind of digital computer . generally , a processor will receive instructions and data from a read only memory or a random access memory or both . the essential elements of a computer are a processor for executing instructions and one or more memory devices for storing instructions and data . generally , a computer will also include , or be operatively coupled to receive data from or transfer data to , or both , one or more mass storage devices for storing data , e . g ., magnetic , magneto optical disks , or optical disks . information carriers suitable for embodying computer program instructions and data include all forms of non volatile memory , including by way of example semiconductor memory devices , e . g ., eprom , eeprom , and flash memory devices ; magnetic disks , e . g ., internal hard disks or removable disks ; magneto optical disks ; and cd rom and dvd - rom disks . the processor and the memory can be supplemented by , or incorporated in special purpose logic circuitry . it is to be understood that the foregoing description is intended to illustrate and not to limit the scope of the invention , which is defined by the scope of the appended claims . other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims .
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a “ single - element ” light bulb , for the purposes of this document , refers to one which is capable of a single level of illumination when energized . any type of medium - base light bulb could be used . however , a need exists to utilize compact fluorescent lamps ( cfls ) and led bulbs . a three - way lamp holder / switch is often found in many table and floor lamps . when combined with what is typically an incandescent three - way light bulb , three levels of illumination are produced by the lamp . the standard three - way lamp holder has four switch positions : off , low , medium , and high . by utilizing the outside of the light bulb &# 39 ; s screw - in base as a common electrical ground , with two concentric electrical contacts ( called , respectively , tip and ring ) on the bulb &# 39 ; s male base , the three - way lamp holder enables independent or simultaneous activation of the two separate filaments within the incandescent bulb . a commonly used three - way incandescent bulb is rated at 50 - 100 - 150 watts of electrical consumption and proportional illumination . with the increasing costs of excessive electrical power consumption , more attention is being paid to the benefits of replacing incandescent light bulbs with energy - efficient ones . the major advantage of the compact fluorescent bulb over its incandescent equivalent is that it typically uses approximately 25 % of the electricity consumed by the incandescent bulb for the same amount of light output . it is possible , if not always easy , to find three - way compact fluorescent light bulbs . anecdotal evidence suggests that there may be technical issues with the current generation of these bulbs , which would account for the difficulty sometimes encountered with finding them . the high cost of these bulbs may also tend to depress demand , and their subsequent availability . when a “ single - element ” compact fluorescent or incandescent type of light bulb is used in a three - way lamp holder / switch , the sequence of illumination when rotating the switch &# 39 ; s activating knob is “ off - off - on - on ,” which can be annoying to a consumer . this invention modifies that sequence to the more conventional “ off - on - off - on ”. referring to fig1 , the underside of an adapter 45 according to the principles of the present invention is shown ; having a tip 20 connector made of a non - conductive material , a conductive a ring connector 40 , and the common connector 50 . in one embodiment , and referring to fig2 , the adapter 45 is shown in side view , comprising a lower end with a modified three - way bulb base 42 having a tip 20 , ring 40 and common 50 connection , and a one - way bulb socket 65 having an interior 60 into which a one - way bulb ( not shown ) may be inserted . referring to fig3 , a top - down view of the adapter 45 is shown , revealing the interior 60 showing a single tip 70 connection and a common connection 52 . the ring connection is absent . as may be seen in fig4 , a single - element one - way bulb 80 may be inserted into the adapter 45 . fig5 reveals how the adaptation is accomplished . fig5 shows an electrical schematic diagram of how the internal connections of the adapter are made . of first note is that there is no electrical connection made to the tip 20 . the ring 40 on the bulb base 42 is connected electrically to the tip connection 70 of the bulb socket 65 . the common connection 50 of the base 42 is electrically connected to the common connection 53 of the socket 65 . thus , the tip of a bulb 80 inserted into the socket 65 will be powered whenever the ring 40 of the base 42 is powered . since there is no connection between the bulb 80 whatever to the tip 20 , power applied to the tip 20 will have no effect on bulb illumination . the ring 40 of the base 42 is powered on low and high positions of the lamp switch ( not shown ) thus powering the tip 185 of a bulb 80 giving the desired off - on - off - on illumination sequence . in a simpler embodiment , referring to fig6 , a side view of a button adapter 150 is shown . the adapter 150 is of a circumference designed to fit snugly into a standard three - way lamp socket . it has a body 190 made of a non - conductive stiff insulating material , such as high - temperature plastic or cardboard . as shown in fig7 , the adapter 150 has an index slot 165 to hold it in position over the ring connector 160 of a bulb base as shown in fig7 a . referring to fig6 a , an adapter connector means 180 part of the button adapter is shown disassembled from the button adapter . the adapter connector means 180 is made from a strip of conductive material bent into a roughly “ j ” shape , having a tip contact portion 181 , a ring contact portion 182 and a neck portion 183 . as shown in cutaway fig6 b , when assembled the neck portion 183 is sandwiched between the bottom 190 a and top 190 b of the body 190 . the body may be made of two pieces as shown , or it may simply be of a material such as cardboard which is split so as to receive the neck portion 183 of the adapter connector means 180 . thus , as shown in fig7 , on the top of the button adapter 150 the adapter connector means 180 is an electrically conductive contact designed to mate at the ring contact portion 181 with a ring connection 160 of a three - way lamp base 187 shown in top view in fig7 a ( prior art ) and with the tip contact 185 of a bulb 180 ( prior art ). thus , as shown in fig8 a , when the button adapter 150 is inserted into a three - way lamp base 187 the adapter connector means 180 electrically connects through the ring contact portion 182 a ring contact 160 of a three - way lamp base 187 , then through the tip contact portion 181 to a tip contact 185 of a one - way light bulb 80 . the tip contact of the lamp base 188 is electrically isolated . as shown in fig7 and 8 , the tip contact portion 181 of the adapter connector means 180 is in position so as to connect to a bulb tip contact 185 on a bulb 80 . fig8 a shows a top view of a lamp base 187 showing the adapter 150 in place . as may be seen , the index notch 165 seats over the lamp base ring connector 160 electrically contacting the adapter ring contact portion 182 to the lamp base ring connector 160 . in yet another embodiment , shown in fig9 ( side view ), 10 ( top view ) and 11 ( bottom view ), an adapter 200 is shown having a rigid non - conductive frame 225 , a non - conductive tip connector 210 on the bottom where it would non - electrically connect with the tip connector when installed in a lamp base ( not shown ). a conductive portion having a bottom 215 and top 220 is situated so as to engage on the bottom 215 , when the adapter is inserted into a three - way lamp socket ( not shown ), with the lamp socket ring connection ( not shown ) and the top portion 220 would connect with the tip of a bulb 80 in fig1 when inserted into a lamp base with the adapter 200 fitted therein . typically , a three - way lamp socket ring connector is fabricated from a metallic spring strip designed to connect with the ring connection of a bulb base and to be compressed when the bulb is screwed into the lamp base . the non - conductive tip 210 of the adapter 200 is to be thin enough to allow the spring strip to make connection when a bulb 80 is screwed in a three - way base ( not shown .) in use , the button adapter 200 is intended to be attached to the tip of a bulb 80 , using a nonconductive adhesive so as to keep a consumer &# 39 ; s fingers from being in the lamp socket during installation .
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the present invention utilizes propionic acid and / or salts thereof in compositions and methods of fungal inhibition and eradication . in certain embodiments of the present invention , the compositions and methods disclosed herein are directed toward imparting fungal resistance to construction materials . in certain such embodiments , a concentration of greater than 0 . 0 % and less than 5 . 0 % of calcium propionate ( or the equivalent value of propionic acid ) is in the compositions of the present invention . in still other embodiments of the compositions of the present invention , the concentration of propionic acid ( or equivalent chemical value thereof ) can range from 0 . 5 % to 3 . 0 %, or from 1 . 0 % to 2 . 5 %. the propionate compound concentrations described above are capable of providing a benign but effective fungicide as described herein . in certain embodiments , the compositions of the present invention further include a dual cationic component . the dual cationic component of the present invention includes : wherein said quaternary ammonium compound (“ quat ”) is selected from the group consisting of n - alkyldimethyl benzyl ammonium saccharinate ; 1 , 3 5 5 - triazine - 1 , 3 , 5 ( 2h , 4h , 6h )- triethanol ; 1 - decanaminium , n - decyl - n , n - dimethyl -, chloride ( or ) didecyl dimethyl ammonium chloride ; 2 -( 2 -( p -( diisobutyl ) cresosxy ) ethoxy ) ethyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride ; 2 -( 2 -( p -( diisobutyl ) phenoxy ) ethoxy ) ethyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride ; alkyl 1 or 3 benzyl - 1 -( 2 - hydroxyethyl )- 2 - imidazolinium chloride ; alkyl bis ( 2 - hydroxyethyl ) benzyl ammonium chloride ; alkyl demethyl benzyl ammonium chloride ; alkyl dimethyl 3 , 4 - dichlorobenzyl ammonium chloride ( 100 % c12 ); alkyl dimethyl 3 , 4 - dichlorobenzyl ammonium chloride ( 50 % c14 , 40 % c12 , 10 % c16 ); alkyl dimethyl 3 , 4 - dichlorobenzyl ammonium chloride ( 55 % c14 , 23 % c12 , 20 % c16 ); alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride ; alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride ( 100 % c14 ); alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride ( 100 % c16 ); alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride ( 41 % c14 , 28 % c12 ); alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride ( 47 % c12 , 18 % c14 ); alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride ( 55 % c16 , 20 % c14 ); alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride ( 58 % c14 , 28 % c16 ); alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride ( 60 % c14 , 25 % c12 ); alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride ( 61 % c11 , 23 % c14 ); alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride ( 61 % c12 , 23 % c14 ); alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride ( 65 % c12 , 25 % c14 ); alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride ( 67 % c12 , 24 % c14 ); alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride ( 67 % c12 , 25 % c14 ); alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride ( 90 % c14 , 5 % c12 ); alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride ( 93 % c14 , 4 % c 12 ); alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride ( 95 % c16 , 5 % c18 ); alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride ( and ) didecyl dimethyl ammonium chloride ; alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride ( as in fatty acids ); alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride ( c12 - c16 ); alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride ( c12 - c18 ); alkyl dimethyl benzyl and dialkyl dimethyl ammonium chloride ; alkyl dimethyl dimethylbenzyl ammonium chloride ; alkyl dimethyl ethyl ammonium bromide ( 90 % c14 , 5 % c16 , 5 % c12 ); alkyl dimemyl ethyl ammonium bromide ( mixed alkyl and alkenyl groups as in the fatty acids of soybean oil ); alkyl dimethyl ethylbenzyl ammonium chloride ; alkyl dimethyl ethylbenzyl ammonium chloride ( 60 % c14 ); alkyl dimethyl isopropylbenzyl ammonium chloride ( 50 % c12 , 30 % c14 , 17 % c16 , 3 % c18 ); alkyl trimethyl ammonium chloride ( 58 % c18 , 40 % c16 , 1 % c14 , 1 % c12 ); alkyl trimethyl ammonium chloride ( 90 % c18 , 10 % c16 ); alkyldunethyl ( ethylbenzyl ) ammonium chloride ( c12 - 18 ); di -( c8 - 10 )- alkyl dimethyl ammonium chlorides ; dialkyl dimethyl ammonium chloride ; dialkyl dimethyl ammonium chloride ; dialkyl dimethyl ammonium chloride ; dialkyl methyl benzyl ammonium chloride ; didecyl dimethyl ammonium chloride ; diisodecyl dimethyl ammonium chloride ; dioctyl dimethyl ammonium chloride ; dodecyl bis ( 2 - hydroxyethyl ) ocryl hydrogen ammonium chloride ; dodecyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium , chloride ; dodecylcarbamoyl methyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride ; heptadecyl hydroxyethylimidazolinium chloride ; hexahydro - 1 , 3 , 5 - thris ( 2 - hydroxyethyl )- s - triazine ; myristalkonium chloride ( and ) quat rnium 14 ; n , n - dimethyl - 2 - hydroxypropylammonium chloride polymer ; n - alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride ; n - alkyl dimethyl ethylbenzyl ammonium chloride ; n - tetradecyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride monohydrate ; octyl decyl dimethyl ammonium chloride ; octyl dodecyl dimethyl ammonium chloride ; octylphenoxyethoxyethyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride ; oxydiethylenebis ( alkyl dimethyl ammonium chloride ); quaternary ammonium compounds , dicoco alkyldimethyl , chloride ; trimethoxysilyl propyl dimethyl octadecyl ammonium chloride ; trimethoxysilyl quats , and trimethyl dodecylbenzyl ammonium chloride . in some of these embodiments , the dual cationic component is maquat ™ 2525 m 50 % ( mason chemical company hereinafter “ maquat ”) at a concentration ranging from greater than 0 . 0 % to 5 % weight per weight . maquat is comprised of two quaternary ammonium compounds in equal weight to total composition of matter . the two cationic surfactants in maquat are alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride and alkyl dimethyl ethyl benzyl ammonium chloride . both of these cationic surfactants are known to possess limited antimicrobial effects and are classified as disinfectants . certain of these cationic components will readily mix with propionate compounds in solution . for example , 0 . 5 % maquat can be mixed with calcium propionate ( at the concentrations listed above ) to readily admix and provide a stable , clear solution . certain embodiments of the compositions of the present invention are made by adding maquat to water at a concentration of 0 . 5 % total weight . after thorough mixing , calcium propionate is introduced to the solution in the concentration of 2 . 5 % by weight to the original water weight and thoroughly solubilized . the resultant composition is then ready for use as a surface disinfectant with relatively long residual effectiveness as a fungicide , bactericide , and viricide . dual quat blends , such as maquat are known to be a highly effective disinfectant with numerous species of bacteria including enterococcus faecium , escherichia coli , escherichia coli 0157 : h7 , pseudomonas aeruginosa , salmonella cholerasuis , salmonella typhi , listeria monocytogenes , staphylococcus aureus , mycobacterium tuberculosis , methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus , vancomycin intermediate resistant staphylococcus aureus , and vancomycin resistant enterococcus faecalis . the virucidal effectiveness of the quaternary compounds contained maquat includes hepatitis a , b , and c , hiv - 1 , poliovirus type 1 , canine parvovirus , norwalk virus , human coronavirus , and rabies virus . as a fungicide , an example is trichophyton mentagrophytes ( athlete &# 39 ; s foot fungus ) ( 3m tb quat disinfectant cleaner rtu technical data brochure , september 2005 ). to retard leaching and / or dilution of the solution upon application , a cellulose ether can be added to certain embodiments of the compositions of the present invention to aid in film - forming of the solution on a treated surface . those of skill in the art will recognize that other film - forming agents can be utilized in the present invention , including , but not limited to , guar . in some embodiments , the cellulose ether can be sodium carboxymethylcellulose . the sodium carboxymethylcellulose concentrations in certain such embodiments can range from 0 . 05 % to 0 . 5 % weight per weight . the compositions of the present invention can be applied by immersion of the material to be treated , by surface wiping , by brush , roller , pump spray applicator or pressure sprayer . the material can then be allowed to air dry the treated surfaces . suitable materials for treatment with the compositions and methods of the present invention include , but are not limited to , inanimate surfaces such as walls , floors , ceilings , countertops , and any exposed surface where fungal growth is present , as well as textiles , leather , paper , coatings , paints , caulks , adhesives , sealants and surface contact cleaners . furthermore , certain compounds of the present invention , such as those containing solubilized propionic acid or its solid salts with a dual cationic surfactant mixture , can be incorporated within paints and coatings to provide fungal resistance where said paints or coatings are applied ; or , as an additive to impart fungal resistant properties in said paints or coatings by the consumer at times of application . paper and textiles can furthermore be treated in pulp process and fiber process waters with the compounds of the present invention . in certain such embodiments , propionic acid or its solid salts can be solubilized at a concentration of greater than 0 . 0 % and less than 5 . 0 % in combination with a dual cationic component . propionic acid and its salts are inhibitors of some fungi with effectiveness for a period of approximately six days . in laboratory testing with a variety of methods and standards , each of the components when tested individually did not demonstrate resistance to various fungal species . however , as a combination in the concentrations described , immediate and sustained resistance to all fungi tested was demonstrated beyond the times as stipulated by the protocols of industry standards . a disk diffusion method of determining susceptibility of fungi to maquat 2525m 50 % was developed from the kirby - bauer bactericidal disk diffusion method . the diffusion method assumes the migration of active compounds into a surrounding agar medium ( potato dextrose agar ) to intercept and retard the growth of test inoculum seeded to the agar surface . this method was utilized as a screening method to achieve a rapid means of fungal inhibition after 5 days of incubation . the inoculum was composed of a suspension of fungal spores harvested from one week cultures of atcc # 6205 - chaetomium globosum ; atcc # 6275 - aspergillus niger ; and , atcc # 10690 - aspergillus terreus . once the plates were seeded with inoculum , difco concentration disks ( ¼ ″) were impregnated with a 0 . 5 % solution of maquat 2525m 50 %, allowed to air dry in sterile petri dishes and placed at equidistant locations on each plate . at the end of the five day incubation at 30 ° c ., 5 plates containing four disks each were examined visually and microscopically . no zones of inhibition manifested and on six of the twenty disks viable spores were observed . the specimens were graded as moderately resistant . grading is based on the following scale : ( 1 ) not resistant — confluent growth and surface growth on disks ; ( 2 ) moderately resistant — confluent growth without surface growth on disks ; and ( 3 ) resistant — exhibits a zone of inhibition ( no growth ) surrounding disks with no surface growth or sporulation on disks . concurrent with the maquat disk diffusion testing , exact methods were replicated for testing of calcium propionate . a 2 . 5 % solution of calcium propionate was prepared and the difco disks were impregnated with the solution , allowed to air dry and placed on the plates . at the end of the incubation period , the plates were examined visually and microscopically . all of the disks were occluded with profuse growth and were designated as no resistance . concurrent with the above described testing , a solution of 0 . 5 % maquat and 2 . 5 % calcium propionate was prepared and difco disks were impregnated , allowed to air dry , and placed on the plates . after the incubation period , zones of inhibition were observed around all the disks measuring 12 mm . no growth was detected under microscopic examination . the plates demonstrated the exact effects for a period exceeding six weeks . the specimens were graded fully resistant . concurrent with the above described tests , 0 . 5 % of sodium carboxymethylcellulose was added to impart a solution with film forming properties and to determine if a cross linking agent would have any effects on the present invention . examination of the incubated specimens was conducted and zones of inhibition of 10 mm manifested . no growth was present on any disks and an extended period of incubation exceeding six weeks presented no change in resistance or diminution of the zones of inhibition . the specimens were graded fully resistant . another cationic surfactant was selected to determine if calcium propionate exhibited the same synergistic , enhancing effects of resistance with fungi . a solution was created using 0 . 125 % of cetylpyridinium chloride , equivalent to the concentrations of each of the components in maquat 2525m 50 %. exact protocol was followed and examination of the specimen plates revealed no zone of inhibition surrounding the disks . the specimens were graded moderately resistant . long term protection provided by a preservative mechanism to inhibit fungal growth is best demonstrated by the industry recognized tappi test method t 487 . this method is used to determine the resistance of paper and paperboard to fungal growth in ideally suited controlled conditions of light , temperature , moisture , and food supply . treated 50 mm test coupons of paper are placed on a surface of test agar , flooded with a test inoculum of fungal spores , and incubated to determine fungal resistance . the rating that is provided follows an established protocol to determine the degree of mold growth on a rating scale reported as 1 ) not fungal resistant ; 2 ) moderately fungal resistant ; and 3 ) resistant . challenges of treated porous surfaces , represented by selected samples of untreated paper product specified as whatman filter paper # 4 and paper product specified as whatman filter paper # 4 treated with a solution of fungicides , are exposed to designated fungal suspensions known to cause failure under certain use conditions . the test samples are prepared according to t 487 pm - 99 by aseptically removing pre - sterilized 50 mm paper coupons , previously equilibrated to room temperature , and then placed in a controlled chamber at 28 +/− 1 ° c . ( 82 . 40 f ) and 95 %- 98 % rh . the chamber is fitted with a tray filled with a salt solution to maintain humidity control . the test ensues continuously for 21 days and samples are observed weekly . the panels are rated each week according to the appearance of fungal growth . this series of tests according to the tappi t 487 pm - 99 protocol were conducted with multiple specimens of treated and untreated ( control ) paper substrates with the specified fungal species of aspergillus niger ( atcc # 6275 ), chaetomium globosum ( atcc # 6205 ), and aspergillus terreus ( atcc # 10690 ) suspensions . the suspensions of inoculum were harvested from 14 day potato dextrose agar cultures into sterile water , combining the culture suspensions from each fungal genus and adjusting to concentrations of 10 6 / ml . triplicate substrate samples were then prepared from sheets of cellulose fiber papers ( whatman ) cut into 50 mm squares and steam sterilized . the sterilized paper coupons were immersed in a solution of each challenge solution , allowed to soak for ten minutes , removed and placed into aluminum drying trays in a drying oven for 24 hours at 67 ° c . the test papers were placed onto the surface of prepared agar plates containing mineral - salt agar as outlined in t 487 pm - 99 . two plies of paper were treated as a single test specimen and were directly pipetted with 1 ml of fungal suspension on the surface of each test coupon . the plates were then inverted and placed into humid incubation chambers and incubated at 28 ° c .+/− 1 c for 21 days . observations for growth were conducted on successive weekly schedules as well as verification of test inocula to distinguish contaminants or naturally occurring molds from actual challenge organisms . growth was defined as sporulating , hyphael appearances directly from the paper substrate . the following comparative table depicts the various solutions and resistance results :
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embodiments of the invention provide new aluminum nitride ( aln ) based thin film alloys incorporating the selected heavy rare earth elements ( shrees ), namely ytterbium gadolinium , dysprosium , holmium , thulium , terbium , and lutetium , that have higher piezoelectric do coefficients than pure aluminum nitride . this improvement can be enhanced by applying a tensile stress of preferably at least 200 mpa and more preferably in the order of 1 . 0 gpa on the thin film . the results of dft simulations show that these alloys present piezoelectric d 33 coefficients of up to 18 pm / v more than three times the piezoelectric coefficient of aluminum nitride with no tensile stress applied . in addition , dft simulations show that the addition of tensile stress on the thin film can potentially increase by 70 % the piezoelectric coefficients of the alloys . the dft simulation is started by finding a proper special quasi random structure to represent an alloy and generating 4f electron in core pseudopotentials for the lanthanides with commonly available software . this structure is then stretched and relaxed with dft simulation software for +− 0 , 1 % of the c - axis lattice parameter for the fully relaxed system . the electric polarization and stress inside the structure is then calculated with berry phase calculation for these relaxed structures and the d 33 coefficient is calculated from the equation : this is a good approximation for high values of d 33 . see tasnadi , f et al . supra , the contents of which are herein incorporated by reference . as a verification of the model , the results for aln and al 0 . 5 sc 0 . 5 n have been reproduced . the following table shows the results of dft simulations for selected alloys . the bandgaps obtained in the dft calculations are known to be underestimated . in practice , they are expected to be in the vicinity of 4 ev . see dixit h . et al . electronic structure of transparent oxides with the tran - blaha modified becke - johnson potential . j . phys . : condens . matter . 24 ( 2012 ) 205503 ( 9 pp ), the contents of which are herein incorporated by reference . the bandgap is significantly above zero , which is a necessary condition for high resistivity of the alloys . the output structure of the simulation has been examined to confirm a wurtzite structure . for example , fig3 shows a relaxed 3 × 3 × 3 supercell , and the positioning of the corresponding atoms in the special quasi random structure . in fig3 , the larger gray spheres represent the shree atoms , the darker medium - sized spheres represent al atoms , and the smaller gray spheres represent nitrogen atoms , as indicated in the figure . fig1 shows the effect of applying tensile stress to pure aln . there is a gradual improvement in the d 33 coefficient as apparent from the following table . the effect of tensile stress is significantly greater than for pure aln , but as previously noted scandium is an expensive material to work with . nevertheless , these results show that existing scandium - based alloys can be improved by providing an intrinsic stress . the effect occurs almost immediately with increasing stress , but a practical lower limit is 200 mpa . the applicants have demonstrated that certain elements in the lanthanide series exhibit a similar phenomenon . the following table shows the results for al 0 . 5 yb 0 . 5 n . the following table shows the simulation results for lanthanum ( la ), which is a not member of the selected shree elements and lutetium ( lu ). they were obtained for a smaller 2 × 2 × 2 supercell simulation domain , which tends to overestimate results by 28 %. lu has a full 4f shell electronic configuration that is much easier to handle in simulations . simulations using 4f electrons in core pseudopotentials and the usual 4f electrons as valence pseudopotentials give piezoelectric coefficients of 23 . 2 pm / v and 22 . 8 pm / v respectively for a given 2 × 2 × 2 supercell simulation domain . the similarity of the results support the validity of our simulation method . the validity of the results is further supported by the strong correlation between the calculated shree - nitride lattice parameters and the experimental values . the simulations for la show that not all lanthanides can be alloyed heavily and give significant increase in d 33 . the results for lanthanum are only marginally better than for pure aln , and the configuration would not be stable if the alloy were fabricated . it would probably separate in cubic non - piezoelectric material phases . a comparison of the results for al 0 . 5 la 0 . 5 n and al 0 . 5 lu 0 . 5 n show the effect of change in structure . al 0 . 5 lu 0 . 5 n remains almost wurtzite like ( same structure as base aln ), whereas al 0 . 5 la 0 . 5 n does not . the alloys in accordance with embodiments of the invention are manufactured generally in accordance with the techniques disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 7 , 758 , 979 , the contents of which are herein incorporated by reference . however , the shree - based alloys should be less expensive to manufacture than scandium - based materials . scandium is extremely scarce and hard to refine . piezoelectric materials with larger d 33 piezoelectric coefficients are essential for advanced piezoelectric mems devices , such as sensors , resonators , piezoelectric accelerometers , and gyroscopes . the piezoelectric device 1 shown in fig4 comprises a thin film 2 of al ( 1 - y ) x y n , where x is selected from the group consisting of : yb , ho , dy , lu , tm , tb , and gd ; and y is the atomic fraction of xn deposited on a substrate 2 . the material of the substrate 2 could , for example , be single - crystal silicon or the like , but other suitable materials may be employed such as sapphire , molybdenum or platinum . buffer layers ( not shown ) could also be incorporated between the substrate 3 and the film 2 , to better control the properties of the film 2 . in order to manufacture the device in accordance with the invention , as shown in fig5 , the temperature controlled substrate holder and substrate 3 is placed in a sputtering chamber 6 with two targets 7 , 8 , an inlet port 9 for the sputtering gas , and an outlet port 10 . in this example , the sputtering gas is a mixture of nitrogen , which is the reactive gas , and argon , which helps the sputtering , although it will be appreciated that other mixtures could be employed . the first target 7 is aluminum , and the second target 8 is the shree element x , for example , ytterbium . the al atoms from the target 7 and the x atoms from the target 8 are deposited on the silicon substrate and react with the reactive gas , in this case nitrogen , to form the al ( 1 - y ) x y n film 2 on the substrate 1 . the tensile stress can be controlled by changing the deposition parameters during sputtering . for example , lower adatom mobility ( lower substrate temperature ) to control crystallite island growth can lead to induce tensile stress in polycrystalline films . stress can also be generated by using a templating substrate with a higher lattice parameter instead of a bulk substrate , for example , a silicon bulk substrate with an epitaxially grown buffer layer . the piezoelectric alloys according to embodiments of the invention show an increase of up to 300 % of the piezoelectric coefficient d 33 of the aluminum nitride following incorporation shree elements , such as ytterbium or gadolinium . this improvement can reach up to about 500 % upon the application of a tensile stress of 1 gpa on the thin layer in the planar direction . the alloys can also be made at reduced cost of manufacture compared to scandium - based alloys , which is a consequence of the lower price of the shree ( except for lu ) targets when compared to a scandium target . for example , in the case of 4 ″ diameter sputtering targets , the price of ytterbium and gadolinium targets is only of the order $ 1000 compared to $ 14 , 000 for a scandium target . the current results are based on simulations . although the methodology allows accuracy within a few % of the experimental values , the microstructure can be optimized during the deposition steps . by way of example , a mems device in the form of an inertial sensor ( accelerometer ) is shown in fig6 . this comprises three stacked silicon wafers , namely mems substrate wafer 21 , membrane wafer 22 , and tsv ( though silicon via ) wafer 23 . cavities 26 to contain inertial masses 27 are etched in the si substrate wafer 21 . the second si wafer 22 is bonded to the first wafer 21 , then ground and polished to form a thin silicon layer . the piezoelectric film 28 in accordance with embodiments of the invention and top electrode 29 are deposited and patterned , followed by anisotropic etching of vias 30 and silicon springs ( not shown ) to form the inertial mass 27 . cavities 31 to contain the inertial masses 27 are prepared on the third si wafer 23 , which is bonded to the membrane wafer 22 . the wafer 23 is ground and polished then alcu contacts 32 are deposited on the third wafer 23 . in the presence of an acceleration the mechanical deformation of the piezoelectric film 28 produces a electrical signal . it will be appreciated that the actual layout ( as seen from the top ) of the device varies according to the intended application .
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referring firstly to fig1 shown therein is a component unit of a roller conveyor track as is described in greater detail in the above - mentioned german patent application no . p 37 24 125 . 7 . the roller conveyor track illustrated comprises a panel member 1 which is produced for example from a composite fiber material , having a substantially flat top surface as indicated at 6 . the panel member 1 forms a central bed portion of the unit , a plurality of such units being fitted together to provide the roller conveyor track . the panel member 1 has a longitudinal depression which extends in the direction of conveying movement on the conveyor track , substantially centrally of the panel member 1 , and accommodating a plurality of support rollers 2 which are disposed at spacings from each other in the direction of conveying movement . the rollers 2 are rotatably mounted in the depression in the panel member 1 by means of snap - fitted holders 3 . the individual rollers 2 may be in the form of drive rollers in accordance with german patent application no . p 37 24 126 . 5 ( u . s . ser . no . 160 , 427 filed feb . 25 , 1988 ) or free - running support rollers as disclosed in german patent application no . p 37 24 114 . 1 ( u . s . ser . no . 160 , 239 ). in addition , the panel member 1 has a plurality of fixing elements as indicated at 60 in fig1 which are disposed at respective sides of the central row of rollers 2 for fixing the roller conveyor track to the floor of the freight compartment of an aircraft . arranged at each of the side edges of the panel member 1 , extending in the direction of conveying movement of the conveyor track , are respective guide devices which each comprise a guide bar portion 10 which is formed integrally with the panel member 1 , and a plurality of guide rollers 30 which are mounted freely rotatably adjacent to the respective guide bar portion 10 in suitable openings indicated at 20 in fig2 in the panel member 1 . it will be readily seen from both fig1 and 2 , each guide bar portion 10 extends upwardly above the top surface 6 of the panel member 1 and is of a cross - section corresponding to an inverted generally l - shaped configuration , defined by a substantially vertically upwardly extending support portion ( not referenced ) and a generally horizontally extending transverse web portion 13 which is disposed at a vertical spacing from the top surface 6 of the panel member 1 . that cross - sectional configuration of the respective guide bar portion 10 is such that it engages over and at a spacing from a lateral guide web or limb portion indicated at 99 in fig2 at the adjacent lower longitudinally extending side edge of an article shown as a freight container 100 on the conveyor track . the side edge portions 99 of a respective freight container 100 are thus freely movable in juxtaposed relationship with the guide bar portion 10 , by virtue of the spacing therebetween , as can be clearly seen from fig2 . as can also be best seen from fig2 each guide roller 30 comprises a substantially hollow - cylindrical body which preferably consists of a composite fiber material and which , at the axial end which is towards the adjacent guide bar portion 10 , carries a guide shoulder as indicated at 33 , which is of larger diameter than the remainder of the cylindrical body of the guide roller 30 . arranged at the two axial ends of the guide roller 30 and disposed in the interior of the body thereof are respective rolling bearing assemblies 31 and 32 respectively . the outer bearing race of each of the two rolling bearing assemblies 31 and 32 is non - rotatably connected to the body of the respective guide roller 30 . the guide roller 30 is thus rotatably mounted on a shaft or spindle 21 in the corresponding opening 20 in the panel member 1 by means of the two rolling bearing assemblies 31 and 32 in such a way that the circumferential surface 35 of the guide roller 30 projects slightly above the top surface 6 of the panel member 1 and is thus proud thereof , so that the bottom of a freight container 100 is thus movably supported on the guide rollers 30 . that situation is clearly visible in fig2 from which the spacing between the top surface 6 of the panel member 1 and the underneath surface of the freight container 100 is clearly visible . the lateral edge of the guide portion 99 at the longitudinally extending edge of a respective freight container 100 bears against the radially inwardly facing surfaces of the guide shoulders 33 on the respective guide rollers 30 , as is also clearly visible in fig2 and is thereby held at a spacing from the vertical side surface 11 of each of the openings 20 in the panel member 1 and also at a spacing from the adjacent side surface of the guide bar portion 10 , as is clearly shown in fig2 . at its left - hand end , the shaft or spindle 21 of each guide roller 30 has a male screwthread 23 thereon , with which it is screwed into a female screwthread in a screwthreaded bush or sleeve 22 which is fixedly anchored in the material of the panel member 1 . the end of the shaft or spindle 21 which is at the right in fig2 is mounted with a sliding fit in a mounting bush or sleeve 25 which is also fixedly embedded in the material of the panel member 1 . both the screwthreaded bush or sleeve 22 and also the mounting bush or sleeve 25 comprise metal . for the purposes of screwing the shaft or spindle 21 into the screwthreaded bush or sleeve 22 , the end portion of the shaft or spindle 21 which is at the right in fig2 is provided with a hexagonal recess 24 which is accessible by way of a suitably disposed opening in the right - hand outside edge of the panel member 1 , for receiving a suitable tool . each guide roller 30 is mounted axially slidably on the associated shaft or spindle 21 by way of the two inner bearing races of the two rolling bearing assemblies 31 and 32 so that the guide roller 30 can shift axially on the shaft or spindle 21 . as can be seen from fig2 for that purpose the length of the guide roller 30 as measured in its axial direction is less than the corresponding dimension or width of the opening 20 in the panel member 1 . disposed between the end face of the guide roller 30 which is towards the right in fig2 and the adjacent vertical side surface 11 of the opening 20 , on the shaft or spindle 21 , is a spring arrangement in the form of a pack of plate springs 34 which is supported at one end against the mounting bush or sleeve 25 and at the other end against the inner bearing race of the rolling bearing assembly 32 . the spring arrangement 34 biases the guide roller 30 in a rest condition towards a position of bearing against the screwthreaded bush or sleeve 22 , so that the right - hand end face of the roller 30 is held at a spacing from the vertical side surface 11 of the opening 20 . that ensures that the guide portion 99 on the freight container 100 is held at a spacing from the guide bar portion 10 during the conveying movement of the freight conveyor , by virtue of the guide shoulder 33 bearing against the guide portion 99 on the freight container 100 , thereby preventing frictional engagement between the guide bar portion 10 and a part of the freight container 100 . if however in operation and in particular while in flight , substantial forces are applied to the freight container 100 and are also transmitted to the respective guide rollers 30 , then each of the guide rollers 30 will be correspondingly displaced on its mounting shaft or spindle 21 against the force of the spring arrangement 34 so that the guide portion 99 on the freight container 100 comes into contact with the guide bar portion 10 . the guide bar portion 10 is thus effective to carry the forces applied to the container 100 so as to prevent the container 100 from being substantially shifted in a lateral direction . the portion 13 of each guide bar portion 10 also prevents the container 100 from being displaced in a vertical direction . it will be appreciated that the conveyor track and guide arrangement described above have been set forth solely by way of example and illustration of the principles of the present invention and that various modifications and alterations may be made therein without thereby departing from the spirit and scope of the invention .
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referring now to fig1 and 2 of the drawings , an exemplary spare magazine carrier 10 is shown attached to an automatic rifle 12 . a spare magazine 14 is held in the carrier 10 , while a magazine 16 is held in the receiver 18 of the automatic rifle 12 , ready for use . the spare magazine carrier 10 includes a body 19 having a top 20 , a front side 22 , a rear side 24 , a right , or inner , side 26 , and a left , or laterally outer , side 28 , spaced outwardly apart from the left side of the receiver 18 by a width 30 . to use the spare magazine carrier 10 most advantageously , a shooter will grasp the spare magazine 14 in his left hand while moving the magazine - release push button on the right side of the receiver ( not shown ) leftward with his right hand . this allows the empty magazine 16 to fall from the receiver 18 and releases the spare magazine 14 into the shooter &# 39 ; s left hand , so that he may immediately insert the spare magazine 14 upwardly into position in the receiver 18 . a magazine retaining catch of the automatic rifle 12 engages and retains the spare magazine 14 as it is inserted into position in the receiver 18 . as a result of the readily available spare magazine 14 , the automatic rifle 12 may be reloaded extremely quickly once the magazine 16 has been emptied . another loaded magazine may thereafter be inserted into the spare magazine carrier 10 at the first convenient opportunity . certain rifles , for example the m - 16 military automatic rifle and a similar civilian semi - automatic rifle , the colt ® ar15 rifle , like the rifle 12 shown in fig1 and 2 , may include push - buttons or levers which act as functional control devices to initiate , prevent , or stop the action of mechanisms contained within the receiver of such rifles . some of such push - buttons or levers may be located on the left side of the receiver 18 where the body 19 of the spare magazine carrier 10 may make it awkward , or may require close attention , to operate such push - buttons or levers . in particular , in the rifle 12 there is a bolt catch operating lever 58 , also called a bolt hold - open lever , attached to the left side of the receiver 18 by , and arranged to pivot about , a pin 60 extending parallel with the length of the rifle 12 . the pin 60 extends through a hole 61 in the bolt hold - open lever 58 , defining its fulcrum , and through a pair of gudgeons 62 on the side of the receiver 18 . when the upper end 64 of the bolt hold - open lever 58 is moved away from the receiver 18 , with the bolt 66 manually held withdrawn rearwardly with respect to the receiver 18 , as shown schematically in broken line in fig1 the bolt catch in the hold - open mechanism engages the bolt 66 to hold it in its rearward position . when the upper end 64 of the bolt hold - open lever 58 is pressed to the right , or inward toward the receiver 18 , the catch is disengaged and releases the bolt 66 to be moved forward by a spring . when the last cartridge that was contained in a magazine such as the magazine 16 has been discharged , the bolt hold - open mechanism automatically engages the bolt 66 , holding it in its rearward position . the bolt 66 is thus held rearward while the empty magazine 16 is removed and replaced by the spare loaded magazine 14 . before the rifleman can again shoot the firearm , the bolt 66 must be released by moving the bolt hold - open lever 58 , so the bolt can carry a round from the loaded magazine into the chamber of the firearm . in order to make it unnecessary for the rifleman to look at the upper end 64 of the bolt hold - open lever , an extender 70 according to the present invention is attached to the upper end 64 of the bolt hold - open lever 58 , as shown in fig1 - 4 . the extender 70 includes an elongate body 72 whose inner end is attached to the upper end 64 of the bolt hold - open lever 58 by a clamp 74 . without the spare magazine carrier 10 attached to the rifle 12 , the lower end 68 of the bolt hold - open lever 58 is ordinarily available to be pushed inward toward the receiver 18 to cause the bolt hold - open lever 58 to pivot about the pin 60 to engage the catch of the bolt hold - open mechanism with the bolt 66 . the availability of the lower end 68 to be pushed is particularly useful when the user of the rifle is wearing gloves , since the upper end 64 is too small and too close to the receiver 18 to be grasped easily by a gloved hand to withdraw it away from the receiver 18 . when the spare magazine carrier 10 is present , however , the lower end 68 is not easily reached to be pushed . the bolt catch or hold - open mechanism can easily be engaged with the bolt 66 to hold the bolt open , by pushing downward on the extender 70 when a spare magazine carrier 10 is mounted on the rifle 12 . the elongate body 72 includes an extension arm 76 directed away from the receiver 18 . an enlarged head 78 forms the outer end of the extender 70 and has an engagement contact face 80 , spaced apart by a distance 82 from a reference face 81 engaged with the upper end 64 , and spaced apart from the left side of the receiver 18 by a predetermined distance 83 somewhat less than the width 30 of the spare magazine carrier 10 . the engagement contact face 80 is thus substantially aligned with the left or laterally outer side 85 of a nearby somewhat narrower portion of the spare magazine carrier 10 , and thus is located closer to the left side of the receiver 18 by a small distance 89 in the range of 0 . 2 - 0 . 6 cm ( 0 . 08 - 0 . 24 inch ) and preferably in the range of 0 . 38 - 0 . 51 cm ( 0 . 15 - 0 . 20 inch ) toward the receiver 18 from the outermost surface of the laterally outer , or left , side 28 of the spare magazine carrier 10 . the outer surface or engagement contact face 80 of the head 78 of the extender 70 is thus exposed conveniently in a location where it can be pressed inward toward the receiver 18 by the rifleman , using the heel of his hand , after he has pushed - the loaded spare magazine 14 into the receiver 18 of the rifle 12 . at the same time , the head 78 of the extender 70 is not so prominent as to be likely to be pushed inadvertently . in an extender 70 for an m - 16 rifle with a spare magazine carrier 10 , the distance 82 should thus be in the range of 1 . 90 - 2 . 54 cm ( 0 . 750 - 1 . 0 inch ) and is preferably 1 . 97 cm ( 0 . 775 inch ). pushing on the engagement contact face 80 of the extender 70 requires only a minimum amount of attention , since the engagement contact face 80 , which is larger than the ear 96 on the upper end 64 of the bolt hold - open lever 58 , is well exposed to be contacted and pushed by the rifleman , even if his left hand is gloved . since the engagement contact face 80 is exposed , the rifleman does not need to exercise any particular care or give any particular attention , but needs only to sweep the left hand upward and inward to easily touch the extender 70 and push it inward , thus disengaging the catch mechanism from the bolt 66 . since the extender 70 protrudes outward away from the receiver 18 , pushing upward on the bottom face 84 of the extender 70 will also cause the bolt hold - open lever 58 to rotate about the fulcrum defined by the pivot pin 60 , in the same direction that would result from inward pressure against the upper end 64 . thus , the rifleman need only continue upward movement of the left hand after inserting the loaded magazine into the receiver 18 , with very little attention required in order to engage and move the extender 70 and thus move the bolt hold - open lever 58 as required to chamber a cartridge from a just - inserted magazine 14 . in a preferred embodiment of the invention , as shown also in fig5 - 8 , the extender 70 includes two pieces held together by a bolt 86 and a locknut 87 . a main body piece 88 includes the head 78 and has a front face 90 in which a groove 92 extends most of the way toward the bottom face 84 of the body 72 . a retaining shelf or ledge 94 shown in fig7 and 8 at least partially closes at the bottom of the groove 92 and extends beneath a portion of the bottom of the ear portion 96 of the upper end 64 of the bolt hold - open lever 58 . the location of the ledge 94 in the main body 88 of the extender rather than in the clamping body 98 simplifies attachment of the extender 70 to the upper end 64 when a spare magazine carrier 10 is already in place on the rifle 12 . the clamping body 98 has a main or inner face 100 opposing the front face 90 of the first body 88 and defines a deep groove 102 in an inner end portion 104 . the lack of a ledge 94 in the groove 102 in the clamping body 98 allows the clamping body 98 to slide down around the ear 96 . the deep groove 102 is deep enough to receive the majority of the width of the ear 96 , but shallow enough so that a small gap 106 remains as shown in fig8 when the ear 96 is tightly held between the clamping body 98 and the main body part 88 of the extender 70 . the bolt 86 extends through aligned bores 110 and 112 defined through the main body 88 and the clamping body 98 , and the locknut 87 fits in a wide groove 116 defined on the front face of the clamping body 98 . the width of the wide groove 116 corresponds with the width across flats of the locknut 87 to prevent the locknut 87 from turning while the bolt 86 is screwed into the locknut 87 . the clamping body 98 has an outer end face 118 that abuts tightly against a flat clamp body locating face 119 on the inner side of the head 78 to maintain the alignment of the clamping body with the main body of the extender 70 . preferably , the rear end 120 and the edges 122 of the head 78 are rounded or chamfered to prevent the head 78 from causing discomfort when it is pressed or hit during use . a hole 123 may be provided in the head 78 to lighten the extender 70 . an inner rear or transition face 124 of the head 78 , between the engagement contact face 80 and the extension arm portion 76 , is oriented at an oblique angle 126 ( fig3 ), which may be in the range from 30 to 60 degrees and is preferably at least 40 degrees , and most preferably about 45 degrees to the engagement contact face . this helps prevent the extender 70 from being caught on the rifleman &# 39 ; s clothing or equipment . the thickness 132 of the portions 128 and 130 behind the ear 96 is limited by the available space behind the ear 96 in order to leave the bolt hold - open lever 58 free to move far enough to release the bolt 66 . the thickness 132 is preferably made nearly as great as possible , so that the portions 128 and 130 occupy the entire available space between the ear 96 and the adjacent portion of the receiver 98 when the bolt hold - open lever 58 is pushed far enough toward the receiver 18 to release the bolt 66 . the portions 128 and 130 of the extender 70 thus act as a positive stop to protect the bolt hold - open lever 58 from being damaged as a result of the forces that may result from pushing sharply up or inward on the extender 70 after inserting a loaded magazine 14 into the receiver 18 . the extender 70 is offset a slight distance rearwardly with respect to the bolt hold - open lever 58 , as seen best in fig3 in order to provide clearance between the rear of the spare magazine carrier 10 and the front of the extender 70 , as shown best in fig3 where a space 134 of at least 1 . 27 mm ( 0 . 050 inch ) is preferably available . it will be understood that other clamping mechanisms may be used instead of the particular one discussed herein above to attach an extension arm to the upper end of the bolt catch operating lever 58 . for example , a set screw could be used with a one - piece extender , two clamping elements could be arranged to grip the inner and outer faces of the ear 96 , or a wedging arrangement could be included . referring now also to fig9 and 10 , it will be seen that an extender arm can be incorporated in a replacement bolt hold - open catch mechanism 140 that can be installed in a firearm in place of the original equipment bolt hold - open catch mechanism including the bolt catch operating lever 58 when installing a spare magazine carrier 10 . the bolt hold - open catch 140 can be installed in place of the original bolt catch and operating lever 58 by simply drifting out the pin 60 from the gudgeons 62 , preferably before installing a spare magazine carrier 10 . in such a replacement part , the usual bolt - engaging catch body 142 and a hole 144 establishing a fulcrum are as in the original part , and an actuating lever arm 146 extends away from the catch body 142 for a short distance in the same direction as the upper portion 64 of the bolt hold - open lever 58 . an extension arm 148 is directed laterally , approximately perpendicular to the actuating lever arm 146 , so that it extends away from the receiver 18 when the part 140 is installed in place of the original part including the catch operating lever 58 . as in the previously described extender 70 , the extension arm 148 includes an enlarged head , which has an engagement contact face 150 located in a position corresponding with that of the engagement contact face 80 of an extender 70 installed on the bolt hold - open lever 58 . the engagement contact face 150 is thus spaced apart from a plane parallel to the left side of the receiver and including the fulcrum 144 by a distance 154 of about 1 . 0 - 3 . 5 cm ( 0 . 39 - 1 . 38 inch ) and preferably 2 . 2 - 3 . 0 cm ( 0 . 87 - 1 . 2 inch ), and most preferably about 2 . 35 cm ( 0 . 92 inch ), in particular for an m - 16 rifle equipped with a “ redi - mag ” spare magazine carrier of the type available from j . f . s ., inc . of salem , oreg . preferably , the actuating lever arm 146 includes a positive stop 152 at the inner end of the laterally projecting extension arm 148 . 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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an hdss is composed of an optical system that directs and shapes coherent optical beams to intersect at a surface or volume where the interference pattern is recorded . the hologram constitutes the recorded pattern in the media . in hdss , an entire page of information is stored at once as an optical interference pattern within an optical storage material by intersecting two coherent laser beams within the optical storage material . the first beam is called the “ object beam ,” which contains the information to be stored . the second beam is called the “ reference beam .” the reference beam is often ( but not necessarily ) an unmodulated beam , preferably a spherical beam or a collimated beam with a planar wave front . in this invention , a reference beam is modulated by an apodizer . a reference beam before modulation by the apodizer is referred to as an “ incident reference beam ” and after modulation as a “ modulated reference beam .” in this invention , the term “ apodizer ” refers to any device capable of shaping an incident reference beam to produce a modulated reference beam . the incident reference beam undergoes apodizing or beam shaping . a common trait of all holographic systems is the overlapping of two coherent beams inside a photosensitive medium . the interference pattern generated by the two beams is recorded in the material in the form of a hologram . the ratio of the intensity of the reference beam and the object beam at any point of overlap in the media controls the localized recording rate of the hologram . if the reference beam intensity varies over the media volume , then the quality of the hologram is degraded as different positions in the media record at different rates . in this invention , the above mentioned problem is solved by the use of an apodizer , which allows a better match of the intensity profiles of the object and reference beams throughout the volume of interaction that contributes to the hologram . with holographic systems that record holograms near a fourier image plane , the object beam commonly contains wide spatial variations in intensity . fourier holograms suffer from a number of problems dependent on the fourier image of the object beam . for example , a binary amplitude slm ( 0 pixels are dark , 1 pixels are bright ) have a fourier image with a dc spot ( typically ˜ 5 microns in diameter ) in the center that contains 50 % of the power in the object beam . the power density of the dc spot is 1000 times stronger than the rest of the object &# 39 ; s fourier image . no type of apodization of the reference beam will fix this problem . in this case , one must either move the fourier plane out of the recording intersection of the two beams or introduce a phase mask on the slm to eliminate the dc spot . this is an example of apodizing the object beam instead of the reference beam . this invention , on the other hand , relates to apodizing a reference beam impinging on a region of a holographic medium in which the region is tilted with respect to the impinging reference beam . described are simple and accurate methods for apodizing or beam - shaping a reference beam in order to achieve a uniform intensity profile on a region of the holographic recording medium . in the preferred embodiments , the necessary adjustment to the reference beam can be determined by a variety of methods . the simplest approach is to use geometric optics to ray - trace the relation between the illuminating reference beam profile and the intensity profile on the media surface . the apodizer transmittance is then determined as the profile necessary to undo the effects of the geometric projection onto the media . for simple optical systems this can commonly be determined in closed mathematical form . when the results of ray - tracing are either inappropriate or do not provide enough accuracy , more complicated methods can be employed . physical optics modeling can be used to provide the relation between the intensity profile at the apodization surface and the media surface . physical optics numerically solves the wave propagation equation governing the propagation of the wave leaving the apodization surface and arriving at the holographic media surface . physical optics allows very high precision to be obtained while accurately taking into account the true vectorial polarization properties of the optical wave as well as the diffraction nature of coherent light . the computational burden of physical optics may restrict the practicality of the the approach . however , physical optics includes the effects of both polarization and diffraction , which are ignored by geometric optical methods . the apodizer of this invention can take into account any non - uniformity naturally present in the reference beam . an example of such non - uniformities is the gaussian beam profile common to nearly all forms of lasers . when the reference beam is not collimated , the natural divergence / convergence of the beam also introduces a non - uniformity that the apodizer can correct . regardless of the source of the non - uniform beam profile , the apodizer is such that the intensity profile within a given region on the holographic recording medium is substantially uniform . the term “ substantially uniform intensity ” refers to an intensity in which the maximum and minimum intensities of a beam , i max and i min , within a given region on a holographic recording medium have the following relationship : preferably , ( i max − i min )/ i max ≦ 0 . 05 ; more preferably , ( i max − i min )/ i max ≦ 0 . 02 ; most preferably , ( i max − i min )/ i max ≦ 0 . 01 , where i max and i min are defined over the total volume of the media that intersects with the object beam . beam apodization of this invention can be implemented in a number of ways but , for convenience , the preferred ways are the following . the first preferred method imposes an absorptive mask on the beam . the transmitted beam could have an intensity profile that is the multiplication of the absorptive mask and the input beam profile . the absorptive masks provide the simplest solution at the expense of the transmitted power efficiency . the absorptive mask apodizers eliminate all the power that is not part of the desired beam shape . as a result , absorptive apodizers typically only pass 20 %- 90 % of the input beam power . the second preferred apodization technique uses diffractive optics to redistribute the optical energy in the beam . diffractive optics provide beam shaping with zero or very low loss of transmitted power through the use of a sophisticated ( possibly multi - element ) optical system . in one aspect of the invention , the holographic recording medium is an optically flat recording medium . the term “ optically flat recording medium ” refers to the property that the effective medium thickness is controlled such that thickness deviations are less than a wavelength of light across the medium area addressed during recording . many kinds of materials could be used as holographic storage media . photopolymers are very promising because of their high sensitivity and dynamic range . phenanthrenequinone - doped polymethylmethacrylate ( pq / pmma ) has excellent optical quality and is based on a photoreaction between the dopant and polymer followed by diffusion of unreacted chromophore . in one aspect of the invention , the optical article , e . g ., holographic recording medium , of the invention is formed by steps including mixing a matrix precursor and a photoactive monomer , and curing the mixture to form the matrix in situ . the matrix precursor and photoactive monomer are selected such that ( a ) the reaction by which the matrix precursor is polymerized during the cure is independent from the reaction by which the photoactive monomer will be polymerized during writing of a pattern , e . g ., data , and ( b ) the matrix polymer and the polymer resulting from polymerization of the photoactive monomer ( the photopolymers ) are compatible with each other . the matrix is considered to be formed when the photorecording material , i . e ., the matrix material plus the photoactive monomer , photoinitiator , and / or other additives , exhibits an elastic modulus of at least about 10 5 pa , generally about 10 5 pa to about 10 9 pa , advantageously about 10 6 pa to about 10 8 pa . the compatibility of the matrix polymer and photopolymers tend to prevent large - scale (& gt ; 100 nm ) phase separation of the components , such large - scale phase separation typically leading to undesirable haziness or opacity . utilization of a photoactive monomer and a matrix precursor that polymerize by independent reactions provides a cured matrix substantially free of cross - reaction , i . e ., the photoactive monomer remains substantially inert during the matrix cure . in addition , due to the independent reactions , there is no inhibition of subsequent polymerization of the photoactive monomer . at least one photoactive monomer contains one or more moieties , excluding the monomer functional groups , that are substantially absent from the polymer matrix , i . e ., it is possible to find a moiety in the photoactive monomer such that no more than 20 % of all such moieties in the photorecording material are present , i . e ., covalently bonded , in the matrix . the resulting optical article is capable of exhibiting desirable refractive index contrast due to the independence of the matrix from the photoactive monomer . the formation of a hologram , waveguide , or other optical article relies on a refractive index contrast ( δn ) between exposed and unexposed regions of a medium , this contrast at least partly due to monomer diffusion to exposed regions . high index contrast is desired because it provides improved signal strength when reading a hologram , and provides efficient confinement of an optical wave in a waveguide . one way to provide high index contrast in the invention is to use a photoactive monomer having moieties ( referred to as index - contrasting moieties ) that are substantially absent from the matrix , and that exhibit a refractive index substantially different from the index exhibited by the bulk of the matrix . for example , high contrast would be obtained by using a matrix that contains primarily aliphatic or saturated alicyclic moieties with a low concentration of heavy atoms and conjugated double bonds ( providing low index ) and a photoactive monomer made up primarily of aromatic or similar high - index moieties . the matrix is a solid polymer formed in situ from a matrix precursor by a curing step ( curing indicating a step of inducing reaction of the precursor to form the polymeric matrix ). it is possible for the precursor to be one or more monomers , one or more oligomers , or a mixture of monomer and oligomer . in addition , it is possible that more than one type of precursor functional group can exist , either on a single precursor molecule or in a group of precursor molecules . ( precursor functional groups are the group or groups on a precursor molecule that are the reaction sites for polymerization during matrix cure .) to promote mixing with the photoactive monomer , the precursor is advantageously liquid at some temperature between about − 50 ° c . and about 80 ° c . advantageously , the matrix polymerization is capable of being performed at room temperature . also advantageously , the polymerization is capable of being performed in a time period less than 5 minutes . the glass transition temperature ( t g ) of the photorecording material is advantageously low enough to permit sufficient diffusion and chemical reaction of the photoactive monomer during a holographic recording process . generally , the t g is not more than 50 ° c . above the temperature at which holographic recording is performed , which , for typical holographic recording , means a t g between about 80 ° c . and about − 130 ° c . ( as measured by conventional methods ). examples of polymerization reactions contemplated for forming matrix polymers in the invention include cationic epoxy polymerization , cationic vinyl ether polymerization , cationic alkenyl ether polymerization , cationic allene ether polymerization , cationic ketene acetal polymerization , epoxy - amine step polymerization , epoxy - mercaptan step polymerization , unsaturated ester - amine step polymerization ( via michael addition ), unsaturated ester - mercaptan step polymerization ( via michael addition ), vinyl - silicon hydride step polymerization ( hydrosilylation ), isocyanate - hydroxyl step polymerization ( urethane formation ), and isocyanatae - amine step polymerization ( urea formation ). several such reactions are enabled or accelerated by suitable catalysts . for example , cationic epoxy polymerization takes place rapidly at room temperature by use of bf 3 - based catalysts , other cationic polymerization proceed in the presence of protons , epoxy - mercaptan reactions and michael additions are accelerated by bases such as amines , hydrosilylation proceeds rapidly in the presence of transition metal catalysts such as platinum , and urethane and urea formation proceed rapidly when tin catalysts are employed . it is also possible to use photogenerated catalysts for matrix formation , provided that steps are taken to prevent polymerization of the photoactive monomer during the photogeneration . the photoactive monomer is any monomer or monomers capable of undergoing photoinitiated polymerization , and which , in combination with a matrix material , meets the polymerization reaction and compatibility requirements of the invention . suitable photoactive monomers include those that polymerize by a free - radical reaction , e . g ., molecules containing ethylenic unsaturation such as acrylates , methacrylates , acrylamides , methacrylamides , styrene , substituted styrenes , vinyl naphthalene , substituted vinyl naphthalenes , and other vinyl derivatives . free - radical copolymerizable pair systems such as vinyl ether mixed with maleate and thiol mixed with olefin are also suitable . it is also possible to use cationically polymerizable systems such as vinyl ethers , alkenyl ethers , allene ethers , ketene acetals , and epoxies . it is also possible for a single photoactive monomer molecule to contain more than one monomer functional group . as mentioned previously , relatively high index contrast is desired in the article of the invention , whether for improved readout in a recording media or efficient light confinement in a waveguide . in addition , it is advantageous to induce this relatively large index change with a small number of monomer functional groups , because polymerization of the monomer generally induces shrinkage in a material . such shrinkage has a detrimental effect on the retrieval of data from stored holograms , and also degrades the performance of waveguide devices such as by increased transmission losses or other performance deviations . lowering the number of monomer functional groups that must be polymerized to attain the necessary index contrast is therefore desirable . this lowering is possible by increasing the ratio of the molecular volume of the monomers to the number of monomer functional groups on the monomers . this increase is attainable by incorporating into a monomer larger index - contrasting moieties and / or a larger number of index - contrasting moieties . for example , if the matrix is composed primarily of aliphatic or other low index moieties and the monomer is a higher index species where the higher index is imparted by a benzene ring , the molecular volume could be increased relative to the number of monomer functional groups by incorporating a naphthalene ring instead of a benzene ring ( the naphthalene having a larger volume ), or by incorporating one or more additional benzene rings , without increasing the number of monomer functional groups . in this manner , polymerization of a given volume fraction of the monomers with the larger molecular volume / monomer functional group ratio would require polymerization of less monomer functional groups , thereby inducing less shrinkage . but the requisite volume fraction of monomer would still diffuse from the unexposed region to the exposed region , providing the desired refractive index . the molecular volume of the monomer , however , should not be so large as to slow diffusion below an acceptable rate . diffusion rates are controlled by factors including size of diffusing species , viscosity of the medium , and intermolecular interactions . larger species tend to diffuse more slowly , but it would be possible in some situations to lower the viscosity or make adjustments to the other molecules present in order to raise diffusion to an acceptable level . also , in accord with the discussion herein , it is important to ensure that larger molecules maintain compatibility with the matrix . numerous architectures are possible for monomers containing multiple index - contrasting moieties . for example , it is possible for the moieties to be in the main chain of a linear oligomer , or to be substituents along an oligomer chain . alternatively , it is possible for the index - contrasting moieties to be the subunits of a branched or dendritic low molecular weight polymer . the preferred acrylate monomers are monofunctional . these include 2 , 4 , 6 - tribromophenylacrylate , pentabromoacrylate , isobornylacrylate , phenylthioethyl acrylate tetrahydrofurfurylacrylate , 1 - vinyl - 2 - pyrrolidinone , asymmetric bis thionapthyl acrylate , 2 - phenoxyethylacrylate , and the like . in addition to the photoactive monomer , the optical article typically contains a photoinitiator ( the photoinitiator and photoactive monomer being part of the overall photoimageable system ). the photoinitiator , upon exposure to relatively low levels of the recording light , chemically initiates the polymerization of the monomer , avoiding the need for direct light - induced polymerization of the monomer . the photoinitiator generally should offer a source of species that initiate polymerization of the particular photoactive monomer . typically , 0 . 1 to 20 - wt . % photoinitiator , based on the weight of the photoimageable system , provides desirable results . a variety of photoinitiators known to those skilled in the art and available commercially are suitable for use in the invention . it is advantageous to use a photoinitiator that is sensitive to light in the visible part of the spectrum , particularly at wavelengths available from conventional laser sources , e . g ., the blue and green lines of ar +( 458 , 488 , 514 nm ) and he - cd lasers ( 442 nm ), the green line of frequency doubled yag lasers ( 532 nm ), and the red lines of he - ne ( 633 nm ) and kr + lasers ( 647 and 676 nm ). one advantageous free radical photoinitiator is bis ( η - 5 - 2 , 4 - cyclopentadien - 1 - yl ) bis [ 2 , 6 - difluoro - 3 -( 1h - pyrrol - 1 - yl ) phenyl ] titanium , available commercially from ciba as cgi - 784 . another visible free - radical photoinitiator ( which requires a co - initiator ) is 5 , 7 , diiodo - 3 - butoxy - 6 - fluorone , commercially available from spectra group limited as h - nu 470 . free - radical photoinitiators of dye - hydrogen donor systems are also possible . examples of suitable dyes include eosin , rose bengal , erythrosine , and methylene blue , and suitable hydrogen donors include tertiary amines such as n - methyl diethanol amine . in the case of cationically polymerizable monomers , a cationic photoinitiator is used , such as a sulfonium salt or an iodonium salt . these cationic photoinitiator salts absorb predominantly in the uv portion of the spectrum , and are therefore typically sensitized with a dye to allow use of the visible portion of the spectrum . an example of an alternative visible cationic photoinitiator is ( η 5 - 2 , 4 - cyclopentadien - 1 - yl ) ( η 6 - isopropylbenzene )- iron ( ii ) hexafluorophosphate , available commercial from ciba as irgacure 261 . it is also conceivable to use other additives in the photoimageable system , e . g ., inert diffusing agents having relatively high or low refractive indices . preferably , the photoinitiators are selected according to their sensitivity to the light sources . for example , irgacure 369 , irgacure 819 , and irgacure 907 are suitable for commercial blue laser systems . cgi - 784 is suitable for green laser systems , and cb - 650 is suitable for red laser systems . irgacure and cgi are available from ciba , cb - 650 from spectra group . advantageously , for holographic recording , the matrix is a polymer formed by mercaptan - epoxy step polymerization , more advantageously a polymer formed by mercaptan - epoxy step polymerization having a polyether backbone . the polyether backbone offers desirable compatibility with several useful photoactive monomers , particularly vinyl aromatic compounds . specifically , photoactive monomers selected from styrene , bromostyrene , divinyl benzene , and 4 - methylthio - 1 - vinylnaphthalene ( mtvn ) have been found to be useful with matrix polymers formed by mercaptan - epoxy step polymerization and having a polyether backbone . a monomer that has more than one index - contrasting moiety and that is also useful with these polyether matrix polymers is 1 -( 3 -( naphth - 1 - ylthio ) propylthio )- 4 - vinylnaphthalene . to be independent , the polymerization reactions for the matrix precursor and the photoactive monomer are selected such that : ( a ) the reactions proceed by different types of reaction intermediates , ( b ) neither the intermediate nor the conditions by which the matrix is polymerized will induce substantial polymerization of the photoactive monomer functional groups , and ( c ) neither the intermediate nor the conditions by which the matrix is polymerized will induce a non - polymerization reaction of the monomer functional groups that causes cross - reaction ( between the monomer functional groups and the matrix polymer ) or inhibits later polymerization of the monomer functional groups . according to item ( a ), if a matrix were polymerized by use of an ionic intermediate , it would be suitable to polymerize the photoactive monomer by use of a free radical reaction . in accordance with item ( b ), however , the ionic intermediate should not induce substantial polymerization of the photoactive monomer functional groups . also in accordance with item ( b ), for example , one must be aware that a photoinitiated free radical matrix polymerization will typically induce a photoinitiated cationic polymerization of a photoactive monomer functional group . thus , two otherwise independent reactions are not independent for purposes of the invention if both are driven by a single reaction condition . in accordance with item ( c ), for example , base - catalyzed matrix polymerization should not be performed when the photoactive monomer functional group undergoes a non - polymerization reaction in response to the base , even if polymerization of the monomer functional group is performed by an independent reaction . a specific example is that a base - catalyzed epoxy - mercaptan polymerization should not be used with an acrylate monomer because , although the acrylate is polymerized by a free radical reaction , the acrylate will react with the mercaptans under base catalysis , resulting in a cross - reaction . table 1 below illustrates some examples of matrix / photoactive monomer combinations where the matrix polymerization reaction and photoactive monomer polymerization are capable of being independent , and examples where the polymerization interfere with each other . ( photoactive monomers are horizontal , and matrix polymers are vertical . “ x ” indicates cross - reaction or monomer polymerization during matrix polymerization . “ o ” indicates independent reactions . “ i ” indicates that the photoactive monomer polymerization is inhibited by the reagents or reaction that form the polymeric matrix , e . g ., the photoactive monomer functional group is converted to a non - polymerizing group , or chemical species are present after the matrix cure that substantially slow the rate or yield of polymerization of the monomer functional groups .) for purposes of the invention , polymers are considered to be compatible if a blend of the polymers is characterized , in 90 ° light scattering , by a rayleigh ratio ( r 90 ° ) less than 7 × 10 − 3 cm − 1 . the rayleigh ratio , r θ , is a conventionally known property , and is defined as the energy scattered by a unit volume in the direction θ , per steradian , when a medium is illuminated with a unit intensity of unpolarized light , as discussed in m . kerker , the scattering of light and other electromagnetic radiation , academic press , san diego , 1969 . the light source used for the measurement is generally a laser having a wavelength in the visible part of the spectrum . normally , the wavelength intended for use in writing holograms is used . the scattering measurements are made upon a photorecording material that has been flood exposed . the scattered light is collected at an angle of 90 ° from the incident light , typically by a photodetector . it is possible to place a narrow band filter , centered at the laser wavelength , in front of such a photodetector to block fluorescent light , although such a step is not required . the rayleigh ratio is typically obtained by comparison to the energy scatter of a reference material having a known rayleigh ratio . polymer blends that are considered to be miscible , e . g ., according to conventional tests such as exhibition of a single glass transition temperature , will typically be compatible as well , i . e ., miscibility is a subset of compatibility . standard miscibility guidelines and tables are there from useful in selecting a compatible blend . however , it is possible for polymer blends that are immiscible to be compatible according to the light scattering test above . a polymer blend is generally considered to be miscible if the blend exhibits a single glass transition temperature , t g , as measured by conventional methods . an immiscible blend will typically exhibit two glass transition temperatures corresponding to the t g values of the individual polymers . t g testing is most commonly performed by differential scanning calorimetry ( dsc ), which shows the t g as a step change in the heat flow ( typically the ordinate ). the reported t g is typically the temperature at which the ordinate reaches the mid - point between extrapolated baselines before and after the transition . it is also possible to use dynamic mechanical analysis ( dma ) to measure t g . dma measures the storage modulus of a material , which drops several orders of magnitude in the glass transition region . it is possible in certain cases for the polymers of a blend to have individual t g values that are close to each other . in such cases , conventional methods for resolving such overlapping t g should be used , such as discussed in brinke et al ., “ the thermal characterization of multi - component systems by enthalpy relaxation ,” thermochimica acta ., 238 ( 1994 ), at 75 . matrix polymer and photopolymers that exhibit miscibility are capable of being selected in several ways . for example , several published compilations of miscible polymers are available , such as o . olabisi et al , polymer - polymer miscibility , academic press , new york , 1979 ; l . m . robeson , mmi , press symp . ser ., 2 , 177 , 1982 ; l . a . utracki , polymer alloys and blends : thernodynamics and rheology , hanser publishers , munich , 1989 ; and s . krause in polymer handbook , j . brandrup and e . h . immergut , eds ., 3rd ed ., wiley interscience , new york , 1989 , pp . vi 347 - 370 , the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference . even if a particular polymer of interest is not found in such references , the approach specified allows determination of a compatible photorecording material by employing a control sample . determination of miscible or compatible blends is further aided by intermolecular interaction considerations that typically drive miscibility . for example , it is well known that polystyrene and poly ( methylvinylether ) are miscible because of an attractive interaction between the methyl ether group and the phenyl ring . it is therefore possible to promote miscibility , or at least compatibility , of two polymers by using a methyl ether group in one polymer and a phenyl group in the other polymer . it has also been demonstrated that immiscible polymers are capable of being made miscible by the incorporation of appropriate functional groups that can provide ionic interactions . ( see z . l . zhou and a . eisenberg , j . polym . sci ., polym . phys . ed ., 21 ( 4 ), 595 , 1983 ; r . murali and a . eisenberg , j . polym . sci ., part b : polym . phys ., 26 ( 7 ), 1385 , 1988 ; and a natansohn et al ., makromol . chem ., macromol . symp ., 16 , 175 , 1988 ). for example polyisopreme and polystyrene are immiscible . however , when polyisoprene is partially sulfonated ( 5 %), and 4 - vinyl pyridine is copolymerized with the polystyrene , the blend of these two functionalized polymers is miscible . it is contemplated that the ionic interaction between the sulfonated groups and the pyridine group ( proton transfer ) is the driving force that makes this blend miscible . similarly , polystyrene and poly ( ethyl acrylate ), which are normally immiscible , have been made miscible by lightly sulfonating the polystyrene . ( see r . e . taylor - smith and r . a . register , macromolecules , 26 , 2802 , 1993 .) charge - transfer has also been used to make miscible polymers that are otherwise immiscible . for example it has been demonstrated that , although poly ( methyl acrylate ) and poly ( methyl methacrylate ) are immiscible , blends in which the former is copolymerized with ( n - ethylcarbazol - 3 - yl ) methyl acrylate ( electron donor ) and the latter is copolymerized with 2 -[( 3 , 5 - dinitrobenzoyl ) oxy ] ethyl methacrylate ( electron acceptor ) are miscible , provided the right amounts of donor and acceptor are used . ( see m . c . piton and a . natansohn , macromolecules , 28 , 15 , 1995 .) poly ( methyl methacrylate ) and polystyrene are also capable of being made miscible using the corresponding donor - acceptor co - monomers ( see m . c . piton and a . natansohn , macromolecules , 28 , 1605 , 1995 ). a variety of test methods exist for evaluating the miscibility or compatibility of polymers , as reflected in the recent overview published in a . hale and h . bair , ch . 4 -“ polymer blends and block copolymers ,” thermal characterization of polymeric materials , 2nd ed ., academic press , 1997 . for example , in the realm of optical methods , opacity typically indicates a two - phase material , whereas clarity generally indicates a compatible system . other methods for evaluating miscibility include neutron scattering , infrared spectroscopy ( ir ), nuclear magnetic resonance ( nmr ), x - ray scattering and diffraction , fluorescence , brillouin scattering , melt titration , calorimetry , and chemilluminescence . see , for example , l . robeson , supra ; s . krause , chemtracts — macromol . chem ., 2 , 367 , 1991a ; d . vessely in polymer blends and alloys , m . j . folkes and p . s . hope , eds ., blackie academic and professional , glasgow , pp . 103 - 125 ; m . m . coleman et al . specific interactions and the miscibility of polymer blends , technomic publishing , lancaster , pa ., 1991 ; a . garton , infrared spectroscopy of polymer blends , composites and surfaces , hanser , n . y ., 1992 ; l . w . kelts et al ., macromolecules , 26 , 2941 , 1993 ; and j . l . white and p . a . mirau , macromolecules , 26 , 3049 , 1993 ; j . l . white and p . a . mirau , macromolecules , 27 , 1648 , 1994 ; and c . a . cruz et al ., macromolecules , 12 , 726 , 1979 ; and c . j . landry et al ., macromolecules , 26 , 35 , 1993 . compatibility has also been promoted in otherwise incompatible polymers by incorporating reactive groups into the polymer matrix , where such groups are capable of reacting with the photoactive monomer during the holographic recording step . some of the photoactive monomer will thereby be grafted onto the matrix during recording . if there are enough of these grafts , it is possible to prevent or reduce phase separation during recording . however , if the refractive indexes of the grafted moiety and of the monomer are relatively similar , too many grafts , e . g ., more than 30 % of monomers grafted to the matrix , will tend to undesirably reduce refractive index contrast . a holographic recording medium of the invention is formed by adequately supporting the photorecording material , such that holographic writing and reading is possible . typically , fabrication of the medium involves depositing the matrix precursor / photoimageable system mixture between two plates using , for example , a gasket to contain the mixture . the plates are typically glass , but it is also possible to use other materials transparent to the radiation used to write data , e . g ., a plastic such as polycarbonate or poly ( methyl methacrylate ). it is possible to use spacers between the plates to maintain a desired thickness for the recording medium . during the matrix cure , it is possible for shrinkage in the material to create stress in the plates , such stress altering the parallelism and / or spacing of the plates and thereby detrimentally affecting the medium &# 39 ; s optical properties . to reduce such effects , it is useful to place the plates in an apparatus containing mounts , e . g ., vacuum chucks , capable of being adjusted in response to changes in parallelism and / or spacing . in such an apparatus , it is possible to monitor the parallelism in real - time by use of a conventional interferometric method , and make any necessary adjustments during the cure . such a method is discussed , for example , in u . s . patent application ser . no . 08 / 867 , 563 , the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference . the photorecording material of the invention is also capable of being supported in other ways . for instance , it is conceivable to dispose the matrix precursor / photoimageable system mixture into the pores of a substrate , e . g ., a nanoporous glass material such as vycor , prior to matrix cure . more conventional polymer processing is also envisioned , e . g ., closed mold formation or sheet extrusion . a stratified medium is also contemplated , i . e ., a medium containing multiple substrates , e . g ., glass , with layers of photorecording material disposed between the substrates . the medium of the invention is then capable of being used in a holographic system such as discussed previously . the amount of information capable of being stored in a holographic medium is proportional to the product of : the refractive index contrast , an , of the photorecording material , and the thickness , d , of the photorecording material . ( the refractive index contract , an , is conventionally known , and is defined as the amplitude of the sinusoidal variations in the refractive index of a material in which a plane - wave , volume hologram has been written . the refractive index varies as : n ( x )= n 0 + δn cos ( k x ), where n ( x ) is the spatially varying refractive index , x is the position vector , k is the grating wavevector , and no is the baseline refractive index of the medium . see , e . g ., p . hariharan , optical holography : principles , techniques , and applications , cambridge university press , cambridge , 1991 , at 44 .) the δn of a material typically calculated from the diffraction efficiency or efficiencies of a single volume hologram or a multiplexed set of volume holograms recorded in a medium . the an is associated with a medium before writing , but is observed by measurement performed after recording . advantageously , the photorecording material of the invention exhibits a δ of 3 × 10 − 3 or higher . examples of other optical articles include beam filters , beam steerers or deflectors , and optical couplers . ( see , e . g ., l . solymar and d . cooke , volume holography and volume gratings , academic press , 315 - 327 ( 1981 ), the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference .) a beam filter separates part of an incident laser beam that is traveling along a particular angle from the rest of the beam . specifically , the bragg selectivity of a thick transmission hologram is able to selectively diffract light along a particular angle of incidence , while light along other angle travels undeflected through the hologram . ( see , e . g ., j . e . ludman et al ., “ very thick holographic nonspatial filtering of laser beams ,” optical engineering , vol . 36 , no . 6 , 1700 ( 1997 ), the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference .) a beam steerer is a hologram that deflects light incident at the bragg angle . an optical coupler is typically a combination of beam deflectors that steer light from a source to a target . these articles , typically referred to as holographic optical elements , are fabricated by imaging a particular optical interference pattern within a recording medium , as discussed previously with respect to data storage . medium for these holographic optical elements are capable of being formed by the techniques discussed herein for recording media or waveguides . the material principles discussed herein are applicable not only to hologram formation , but also to formation of optical transmission devices such as a waveguide and beam apodizer . polymeric optical waveguides are discussed for example in b . l . booth , “ optical interconnection polymers ,” in polymers for lightwave and integrated optics , technology and applications , l . a . hornak , ed ., marcel dekker , inc . ( 1992 ); u . s . pat . no . 5 , 292 , 620 ; and u . s . pat . no . 5 , 219 , 710 , the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference . essentially , the recording material of the invention is irradiated in a desired waveguide pattern to provide refractive index contrast between the waveguide pattern and the surrounding ( cladding ) material . it is possible for exposure to be performed , for example , by a focused laser light or by use of a mask with a non - focused light source . generally , a single layer is exposed in this manner to provide the waveguide pattern , and additional layers are added to complete the cladding , thereby completing the waveguide . the process is discussed for example at pages 235 - 36 of booth , supra , and cols . 5 and 6 of u . s . pat . no . 5 , 292 , 620 . a benefit of the invention is that by using conventional molding techniques , it is possible to mold the matrix / photoimageable system mixture into a variety of shapes prior to matrix cure . for example , the matrix / photoimageable system mixture can be molded into ridge waveguides , wherein refractive index patterns are then written into the molded structures . it is thereby possible to easily form structures such as bragg gratings . this feature of the invention increases the breadth of applications in which such polymeric waveguides would be useful . in yet another aspect of the invention , the reference beam is a spherical beam . a “ spherical beam ” is a beam that results from light emitting from a point or small aperture . the propagating beam has a wavefront that consists of concentric spheres expanding outwards from the point of origin . preferably , a high numerical aperture ( na ) objective lens generates the incident reference beam . the resultant beam is a spherical wave emanating from the focus point of the lens . the na of the lens determines the angular spread of the propagating beam as shown in fig3 . the higher the na , the larger the angular spread of the beam . preferably , the angle of the incident reference beam at an off - axis from the normal of a region of the medium is from about 10 degrees to about 60 degrees . more preferably , the angle of the incident reference beam is from about 20 degrees to about 50 degrees . most preferably , the angle of the incident reference beam is from about 30 degrees to about 40 degrees . the present invention will be better understood with reference to the following examples . these examples are intended to illustrate specific embodiments within the overall scope of the invention as claimed . in one embodiment , an incident reference beam which is a spherical reference beam emanates from a point source 5 mm from the media and at an angle of θ 1 = 35 degrees from the planar media normal . fig4 illustrates the layout of this example system . the incident reference beam enters the optical system at entrance plane i 1 where an apodizer ( a 1 ) modifies this beam . the beam exiting the apodizer ( a 1 ) is the modulated reference beam that traverses plane i 2 . the resultant intensity distribution in plane i 2 enters the objective lens ( l 1 ) and is converted into a diverging spherical wave impinging on a region , here a planar region , of the media . the region could be on a surface of the media or within the media . the focus of the lens is the point p . the intensity distribution of the modulated reference beam on the planar region , which in fig4 is the front surface of the media , is given by i 3 . note that in fig4 a plane and intensity distribution on the plane are both designated by the same identifier . for example , i 3 refers to the intensity distribution on the plane i 3 shown in fig4 . if the illumination at plane i 1 would be perfectly uniform , then without an apodizer the intensity distribution i 3 would be strongly non - uniform . the portion of the media closer to the focal point p would see a larger intensity than points farther away from p . fig5 shows the intensity at plane i 3 without ( fig5 ( a )) and with ( fig5 ( b )) correction by apodization . in order to correct the intensity distribution 13 to a uniform value , the apodizer a 1 is constructed such that the modified intensity distribution i 2 will propagate to the media and arrive at plane i 3 uniformly . the necessary apodizer is shown in fig6 where the dark shades indicate areas of low light transmission through the apodizer . there are a number of ways to compute the necessary apodizer a 1 . for example , for each position in the plane i 2 , trace a number of rays onto the media plane i 3 . the ratio of the areas encompassed by the ray bundle in planes i 3 and i 2 is proportional to the change in the intensity . let ( x2 , y2 ) denote a position on the plane i 2 , associated by ray - tracing to the point ( x3 , y3 ) on plane i 3 . let the ratio of areas at positions ( x2 , y2 ) ( x3 , y3 ) be denoted by r ( x3 , y3 )= area3 ( x3 , y3 )/ area2 ( x2 , y2 ). since the desired goal is to uniformly illuminate the plane i 3 , set the apodization at the position ( x3 , y3 ) to be r ( x3 , y3 ). this method determines the desired apodizer transmittance . to implement the apodizer two approaches can be taken . the first approach is an apodization system with a transmissive mask . when implementation simplicity is desired over power efficiency a transmissive mask can be used to produce the desired apodization function . take the input intensity distribution at plane i 1 and divide it point - wise through the image by the desired plane intensity i 2 . this ratio determines the necessary transmittance mask . ( because transmittance can not exceed unity , the mask is a passive component and does not generate light ). then , scale the transmittance of the whole mask by the largest transmittance value of the mask . the resultant mask has a maximum transmittance of unity and a minimum transmittance of zero . this re - scaling is the cause for the inefficient use of the input beam power . to fabricate the transmittance mask , a number of convenient options are available . if the scale at which the transmittance function changes is on the order of hundreds of microns and the phase profile of the reference beam is not of interest , then a laser printer can be used to place the mask on a clear transparency . alternatively , fabricate binary and grayscale masks by photolithography . in this case , the apodizer can be optically flat ( no phase distortion ) and also anti - reflection coated . the photolithography process can produce transmittance features on the order of microns with good accuracy . in either of the mask fabrication methods , if a laserjet transparency or photolithography produces the apodizer , the resultant mask is used in the system merely by placing it between planes i 1 and i 2 . alignment of the mask to the input beam could be required and can be done by adjusting the position of the mask until the intensity in plane i 3 is measured to the desired uniformity specification . the second approach is a diffractive apodization system , in which diffraction is used to move the optical power from regions that should be dark into neighboring regions that should be bright . a multi - element telescope with optical elements , for example , as shown in fig2 could produce a highly efficient modulated reference beam with the capability of propagating for several meters with little distortion and diffraction - limited wavefront quality . the incident reference beam to modulated reference beam converter utilizes optical elements comprising lens , prisms , etc ., to introduce aberrations into the incident reference beam , redistribute the incident reference beam power from a particular profile to the desired modulated reference beam profile . in this diffraction apodization system , a aspheric optic would collimate the aberrated incident reference beam and restore wavefront quality as that of the desired modulated reference beam . fabrication of the elements for such a diffraction apodization system can be made using now available computer - controlled polishing technology and tested using computer - generated holograms . the above description is presented to enable a person skilled in the art to make and use the invention , and is provided in the context of a particular application and its requirements . various modifications to the preferred embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art , and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments and applications without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . thus , this invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown , but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and features disclosed herein . this application discloses several numerical range limitations . persons skilled in the art would recognize that the numerical ranges disclosed inherently support any range within the disclosed numerical ranges even though a precise range limitation is not stated verbatim in the specification because this invention can be practiced throughout the disclosed numerical ranges . a holding to the contrary would “ let form triumph over substance ” and allow the written description requirement to eviscerate claims that might be narrowed during prosecution simply because the applicants broadly disclose in this application but then might narrow their claims during prosecution . finally , the entire invention of the patents and publications referred in this application are hereby incorporated herein by reference .
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in the preferred embodiment , a paddle is formed with a “ poker ” device attached in a central portion thereof such that , during movement of the paddle , the poker device pokes any unwanted foreign body or material which should congregate around the nozzle , out of the nozzle . the poker can be formed during fabrication of the ink ejection nozzle arrangement by means of a chemical mechanical planarization step with , preferably , the formation being a byproduct of the normal formation steps for forming the ink ejection nozzle on arrangement on a semi - conductor wafer utilizing standard mems processing techniques . additionally , in order to restrict the amount of wicking and the opportunities for wicking , an actuator slot guard is provided , formed on the bend actuator itself , closely adjacent to the actuator slot so as to restrict the opportunities for flow of fluid out of the nozzle chamber due to surface tension effects . turning now to fig1 to fig3 there will now be explained the operational principles of the preferred embodiment . in fig1 there is illustrated a nozzle arrangement 1 which is formed on the substrate 2 which can comprise a semi - conductor substrate or the like . the arrangement 1 includes a nozzle chamber 3 which is normally filled with ink so as to form a meniscus 4 which surrounds a nozzle rim 5 . a thermal bend actuator device 6 is attached to post 7 and includes a conductive heater portion 9 which is normally balanced with a corresponding layer 10 in thermal equilibrium . the actuator 6 passes through a slot in the wall 12 of the nozzle chamber and inside forms a nozzle ejection paddle 13 . on the paddle 13 is formed a “ poker ” 15 which is formed when forming the walls of the nozzle chamber 3 . also formed on the actuator 6 is a actuator slot protection barrier 16 . an ink supply channel 17 is also formed through the surface of the substrate 2 utilizing highly anisotropic etching of the substrate 2 . during operation , ink flows out of the nozzle chamber 3 so as to form a layer 19 between the slot in the wall 12 and the actuator slot protection barrier 16 . the protection barrier is profiled to substantially mate with the slot but to be slightly spaced apart therefrom so that any meniscus eg . 19 is of small dimensions . next , as illustrated in fig2 when it is desired to eject a drop from the nozzle chamber 3 , the bottom conductive thermal actuator 9 is heated electrically so as to undergo a rapid expansion which in turn results in the rapid upward movement of the paddle 13 . the rapid upward movement of the paddle 13 results in ink flow out of the nozzle so as to form bulging ink meniscus 4 . importantly , the movement of the actuator 6 results in the poker 15 moving up through the plane of the nozzle rim so as to assist in the ejection of any debris which may be in the vicinity of the nozzle rim 5 . further , the movement of the actuator 6 results in a slight movement of the actuator slot protection barrier 16 which maintains substantially the small dimensioned meniscus 19 thereby reducing the opportunity for ink wicking along surfaces . subsequently , the conductive heater 9 is turned off and the actuator 6 begins to rapidly return to its original position . the forward momentum of the ink around meniscus 4 in addition to the backflow due to return movement of the actuator 6 results in a general necking and breaking of the meniscus 4 so as to form a drop . the situation a short time later is as illustrated in fig3 where a drop 20 proceeds to the print media and the meniscus collapses around poker 15 so as to form menisci 22 , 23 . the formation of the menisci 22 , 23 result in a high surface tension pressure being exerted in the nozzle chamber 3 which results in ink being drawn into the nozzle chamber 3 via ink supply channel 17 so as to rapidly refill the nozzle chamber 3 . the utilization of the poker 15 increases the speed of refill in addition to ensuring that no air bubble forms within the nozzle chamber 3 by means of the meniscus attaching to the surface of the nozzle paddle 13 and remaining there . the poker 15 ensures that the meniscus eg . 22 , 23 will run along the poker 15 so as to refill in the nozzle chamber . additionally , the area around the actuator slot barrier 16 remains substantially stable minimizing the opportunities for wicking therefrom . turning now to fig4 there is illustrated a side perspective view of a single nozzle arrangement 1 shown in sections . fig5 illustrates a side perspective view of a single nozzle including a protective shroud 30 . the central poker 15 and aperture card 16 are as previously discussed . the construction of the arrangement of fig4 and 5 can be as a result of the simple modification of deep mask steps utilized in the construction of the nozzle arrangement in australian provisional patent application pp6534 ( the contents of which are specifically incorporated by cross - reference ) so as to include the poker 15 and guard 16 . the poker and guard are constructed primarily by means of a chemical mechanical planarization step which is illustrated schematically in fig6 to fig8 . the poker 15 and guard 16 are constructed by depositing a surface layer 32 on a sacrificial layer 31 which includes a series of etched vias eg . 33 . subsequently , as illustrated in fig7 the top layer is chemically and mechanically planarized off so as to leave the underlying structure 35 which is attached to lower structural layers 36 . subsequently , as illustrated in fig8 the sacrificial layer 31 is etched away leaving the resulting structure as required . it would be appreciated by a person skilled in the art that numerous variations and / or modifications may be made to the present invention as shown in the specific embodiment without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as broadly described . the present embodiment is , therefore , to be considered in all respects to be illustrative and not restrictive .
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fig1 shows an installation 1 for the production of containers 2 such as bottles , starting from thermoplastic preforms . the installation 1 comprises a forming unit 3 to form the containers 2 , a filling unit 4 to fill the containers 2 , a conveyor 5 for conveying the formed containers 2 from the outlet 6 of the forming unit 3 toward the filling unit 4 , and a cooling unit 7 placed at the outlet 6 of the forming unit 3 along the path of the containers 2 formed by the conveyor 5 . the containers 2 are made for example of polyethylene terephthalate ( pet ), polyethylene naphthalate ( pen ), or any other suitable thermoplastic . once formed , each container 2 has a body 8 ( which may be cylindrical ), a neck 9 and , at the opposite end to the neck 9 , a base 10 . the installation 1 additionally comprises a supply unit 11 which delivers the preforms to the forming unit 3 . the supply unit 11 comprises , for example , a hopper 12 in which the preforms , prefabricated by injection molding , are loosely piled , this hopper 12 being connected to the inlet 13 of the forming unit 3 via a sorter 14 which isolates and positions the preforms ( which are cold , that is to say at ambient temperature ) on a slide 15 . the preforms are subsequently mounted on a transfer chain 16 and then heated as they file through a tunnel oven 17 before being introduced hot into a blow molding or stretch blow molding device of the carousel type 18 having multiple molds ( not shown ). the containers 2 are then transferred , by means of a transfer wheel 19 provided with indentations 20 ( visible in fig2 ), from the molds of the blow molding device toward the conveyor 5 at the outlet 6 of the forming unit 3 , where the containers 2 are cooled prior to being conveyed toward the filling unit 4 . the transfer wheel 19 is rotated by means of a transmission belt 21 connected to the carousel 18 in such a way as to synchronize the rotational speed of the wheel 19 with the tangential speed of the carousel 18 . in the filling unit 4 , the containers 2 are arranged on a filling device 22 of the rotary drum type , from which , once filled , they are withdrawn and presented to a capping device 23 . the containers 2 are then discharged toward a labeling unit ( not shown ) and then toward a packaging unit ( not shown ). as is represented in fig3 , the conveyor comprises two rails 24 facing one another , from which the containers 2 are suspended by their neck 9 and on which they slide while pushing one another under the driving force of the transfer wheel 19 . the rails 24 are supported by cylindrical legs 25 which are themselves carried by a frame 26 which forms the bearing structure of the conveyor 5 . to make it possible to convey containers having necks 9 of different diameters , the rails 24 are mounted so that they can slide transversely on their supports , their distance apart being adjustable by means of hand wheels 27 . as is visible in fig2 , the conveyor 5 comprises , at the outlet 6 of the forming unit 3 , a bottom plate 28 arranged below and facing the bottom 10 of the containers 2 . since the containers 2 are suspended from the rails 24 , they do not rest on the bottom plate 28 , the vertical positioning of which plate ( that is to say its distance from the rails 24 ) being adjustable , depending on the size of the containers 2 , so that the gap separating the bottom plate 28 from the base 10 of the containers 2 is as small as possible . we will see in the following how this adjustment is performed . the cooling unit 7 for its part comprises a pressurized - gas supply circuit 29 , the gas typically being air , and a pressurized - liquid supply circuit 30 , the liquid typically being water , both circuits being connected to a nozzle 31 arranged below the bottom plate 28 and at a certain distance therefrom , as is represented in fig3 and 4 . thus , when it is supplied with air and water , the nozzle 31 generates a jet 32 , composed of a mixture of air and of water in suspension , directed , outside the containers 2 , toward their base 10 , which here constitutes a target area which it is desired to cool from the outside , immediately after forming the containers 2 . the nozzle 31 has an orifice 33 directed toward an opening 34 made in the bottom plate 28 at the outlet 6 of the forming unit 3 , the bases 10 of the containers 2 filing past perpendicularly to this opening . to prevent sprays of liquid from reaching surrounding sensitive parts of the installation 1 , the nozzle 31 is placed in a casing 35 which confines the jet 32 and allows condensed water to be recovered . the casing 35 has a lateral wall 36 which is terminated by an upper end 37 by means of which the casing 35 is fastened to the bottom plate 28 , the wall 36 , of square cross section in the example shown , bordering the opening 34 . the casing 35 comprises , on the opposite side to its upper end 37 , a receptacle 38 for recovering the condensed water which flows along the lateral wall 36 . as is shown in fig4 , the receptacle 38 has an orifice 39 to which can be connected a pipe ( not shown ) for draining the water to outside the installation 1 . as is additionally visible in fig4 , the recovery receptacle 38 , which closes the casing 35 at the bottom , is detachable to allow access to the nozzle 31 . in practice , the receptacle 38 is mounted on the lateral wall 36 by means of wing nuts 40 which allow the receptacle 38 to be fitted and removed rapidly without the use of a tool . in view of the installation 1 being adapted to the production of containers 2 of various sizes , means 41 are provided for adjusting the distance separating the nozzle 31 from the bases 10 of the containers 2 , that is to say , in practice , for adjusting the distance separating the nozzle 31 from the bottom plate 28 . as illustrated in fig3 and 4 , these means 41 take the form of at least one attached spacer which is mounted on the upper end 37 of the casing 35 , being interposed between this casing and the bottom plate 28 , which is thereby raised , this spacer having a lateral wall 42 which thus extends the lateral wall 36 of the casing 35 . this results in joint modularity of the cooling unit 7 and of the conveyor 5 depending on the size of the containers 2 . as is illustrated in fig4 , the nozzle 31 is designed to generate a jet 32 of conical shape . in order to optimally locate the jet 32 on the base 10 of the containers 2 outside these containers and as far as possible prevent water spraying beyond the bottom plate 28 , the cooling unit 7 comprises a mask 43 which , mounted at the upper end 37 of the casing 35 across the opening 34 , delimits a window 44 of adjustable width . the mask 43 comprises two shutters 45 , 46 arranged in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the nozzle 31 ( that is to say to the general direction of the jet 32 ), these shutters having internal edges 47 , 48 jointly delimiting the window 44 . as is shown in fig5 , at least one of the shutters 45 , 46 is slideably mounted to allow adjustment of the size ( more precisely of the width ) of the window 44 and thus regulate the cross section of the jet 32 at the outlet of the casing 35 depending particularly on the diameter of the base 10 of the containers 2 . the nozzle 31 is an atomizing nozzle : it is designed to atomize the water into fine droplets , that is to say of a diameter of less than 200 μm , whereas the conventional nebulizing nozzles generate large water droplets , that is to say of a diameter of greater than 400 μm . the inventors have in fact observed that on contact with the hot plastic , that is to say at a temperature of greater than or equal to approximately 80 ° c ., the atomized particles pass virtually immediately to the gaseous state . the transfer of heat accompanying this change of state from liquid to gas is what causes the cooling of the exposed parts of the containers 2 ( in this instance the base 10 ). since the transfer of heat accompanying the change of state from liquid to gas is greater than that accompanying the simple heating of the water ( as is the case during cooling by means of nebulization ), cooling by means of spraying an atomized jet proves to be more efficient that nebulization . first , the water consumption is considerably reduced ( the volume of a droplet having a diameter of 200 μm in fact represents one eighth of the volume of a droplet having a diameter of 400 μm ). secondly , a significant reduction in soiling on the body 8 of the containers 2 is observed . specifically , whereas large droplets which are deposited on the bodies 8 run down and leave behind traces which must then be removed , fine droplets do not have the opportunity to become deposited on the bodies 8 , either because they have been vaporized on contact with the hot base 10 or because they have been stopped by the mask . the cleanliness of the containers is thus improved . thirdly , the vaporization of the fine droplets prevents contamination of the installation 1 , that is to say water being sprayed onto the surrounding parts of the installation 1 , which could in particular have harmful consequences in terms of electrical safety . encasing the nozzle 31 also contributes to reducing this contamination . a description will now be given of the arrangement and the equipment of the pressurized - air and pressurized - water supply circuits 29 , 30 with reference to fig3 and 6 . the air supply circuit 29 comprises an air feed line 49 connected to a general pressurized - air circuit ( not shown ; in industry , the relative air pressure in the general circuit is generally equal to 7 bar ). it should be noted that “ relative ” air pressure means the pressure difference between the measured air pressure and the atmospheric pressure . the air feed line 49 is connected to a first solenoid valve 50 operated by a controller ( not shown ), the circuit 29 being closed when the installation 1 is at a standstill and being opened when it is operating . along the air supply circuit 29 is then placed , between the solenoid valve 50 and the nozzle 31 , a pressure regulator 51 ( in this instance a relief valve ) designed so that the relative air pressure at its outlet is less than approximately 1 bar , preferably equal to approximately 0 . 7 bar . a manometer 52 ( needle - type or digital ) is attached to the regulator 51 . the water circuit 30 for its part comprises a water feed line 53 connected to the general water supply circuit ( not shown ), in this instance via a manually operated tap 54 . between the tap 54 and the nozzle 31 , the water encounters , along the circuit : a first scale - inhibiting filter 55 , of the electromagnetic type , intended to perform a first softening of the water by retaining the particles having a diameter of greater than 7 μm ; a second solenoid valve 56 operated by the afore - mentioned controller , the circuit 30 being closed when the installation 1 is at a standstill and being opened in contrast when this installation is operating ; a second scale - inhibiting filter 57 intended to perform a second softening of the water by retaining the particles having a diameter of greater than 5 μm ; a pressure regulator 58 to which a manometer 59 is attached , and a flow limiter 60 . the pressure regulator 58 and the flow limiter 59 are respectively regulated so that the relative water pressure is less than 1 bar ( preferably equal to approximately 0 . 7 bar ) and the water throughput is less than 3 l / h . in fact , the inventors have observed that , with these values , combined with a relative air pressure of less than 1 bar , the cooling unit has a maximum efficiency . in addition , in order to purge the nozzle 31 on the water infeed side so as to prevent it from scaling up , particularly if the installation 1 is at a standstill for a prolonged period , the air supply circuit 29 is connected to the water supply circuit 30 by means of a bypass circuit 61 connected , on the one hand , to the air supply circuit 29 upstream of the first solenoid valve 50 and , on the other hand , to the water supply circuit 30 between the flow limiter 60 and the nozzle 31 . the bypass circuit 61 comprises , in succession , a third solenoid valve 62 operated by the controller when purging is judged necessary , and a nonreturn valve 63 intended to prevent water from rising into the air supply circuit 29 . the preforms are first introduced into the forming unit 3 by the supply unit 11 . within the forming unit 3 , the containers 2 are formed from the preforms . the hot containers 2 are then transferred by the wheel 19 , at the outlet 6 of the forming unit 3 , toward the conveyor 5 . the containers 2 then pass across the opening 34 , their base 10 being impinged by the jet 32 coming from the nozzle 31 and consequently cooled by the heat transfer accompanying the changeover from the liquid state of the atomized water particles to the gaseous state . the invention cannot be limited to the foregoing description , with variants being conceivable . thus , although the nozzle 31 is supplied continuously , it is conceivable to program the controller in such a way as to generate the jet 32 intermittently as soon as a container 2 is presented across the window 44 , in order to save water and prevent liquid being sprayed through the gap separating two successive containers 2 . furthermore , although the cooling unit 7 is a fixed unit in the foregoing , it is conceivable to mount it on a sliding carriage accompanying the containers 2 over some of their journey along the conveyor 5 in order to cool the bases 10 further still . it is also conceivable to place the nozzle 31 in line with the transfer wheel 19 or , more precisely , in line with the path followed by the indentations 20 , in order for the containers 2 to be cooled while they are being transferred toward the conveyor 5 , even before they leave the forming unit 3 . such an arrangement does not call for any specific modification of the actual structure of the cooling unit 7 . moreover , although in the foregoing the area to be cooled (“ target area ”) comprises the base 10 of the containers 2 , it is conceivable to select another target area depending on the shape of the containers . for example , this may concern areas on the body 8 which are provided with stiffeners , where the profile and / or the thickness of the wall vary locally . in addition , it is of course possible to replace the air with any other inert gas ( for example nitrogen ), and the water with any other liquid , preferably a noncorrosive and nonpolluting liquid . as for the mask 43 , although embodied by means of sliding shutters 45 , 46 , it is conceivable to replace these shutters 45 , 46 with a contractile diaphragm .
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fig1 is an explanatory drawing of principal constituents illustrating an image formation means in one embodiment of the first invention . in fig1 an image formation unit 1 , accommodating constituent members described later , is provided as one - piece on a control unit 2 . an image - bearing drum 3 , shaped like a cylinder and having a photosensitive layer ( not shown ) comprising zinc oxide or organic semiconductor on the peripheral surface , is provided in such a manner as to be rotatable in the direction of the arrow within the image formation unit 1 . a charger 4 , a developing and cleaning unit 5 formed as described later and a transfer unit 6 are individually provided near the periphery of the image - bearing drum 3 . a magnet roller 8 is rotatably provided on the developing and cleaning unit 5 and formed so as to face to the image - bearing drum 3 . next , a fixer 9 is provided downstream from a recording paper path 10 of the image formation unit 1 and comprises a pressure contacting and rotatable formation of a heating roller 19 and a pressure roller 20 . incidentally , the heating roller 19 and pressure roller 20 , each formed to be 20 mm in outer diameter , are constructed while kept in pressure contact with each other under a linear pressure of 0 . 5 kg / cm . the heating roller 19 comprises a heater , made of electricity resistant material , provided on the periphery of a core made of , say , aluminum alloy and a release layer , composed of , say , ptfe coated about 10 μm on the periphery thereof . further , a pressure roller 20 comprises an outside layer , composed of silicon rubber on the periphery of a core made of material similar to that of the heating roller 19 . according to the construction mentioned above , individual constituent members within the image formation unit 1 are put into driving or operating states via the control unit 2 and an electric signal corresponding to a piece of information or an image is input to a laser scanner 16 . then , the image - bearing drum 3 is uniformly charged using the charger 4 and a laser beam respondent to said electric signal is illuminated on this charged surface , thereby forming a static charge image . the static charge image is developed as a toner image by means of a magnetic developer to be attracted and conveyed by the magnet roller 8 in the developing and cleaning unit 5 and transferred with the transfer means 6 onto paper ( not shown ) moving along the paper feed path 10 . the magnetic toner remaining on the image - bearing drum 3 after transfer of an image is removed therefrom simultaneously with the development of an electrostatic latent image on said developing and cleaning unit 5 . thereafter , the paper bearing a toner image is fed to the fixer 9 , heat of the heating roller 19 is propagated to the toner image on paper , a binding resin constituting the magnetic toner is fused , and fixation is accomplished . fig2 is a principal enlarged transverse sectional view illustrating one example of the developing and cleaning unit 5 in fig1 . in fig2 a magnet roller 8 , comprising a permanent magnet 11 made in one - piece of sintered permanent magnet such as hard ferrite magnet and having a plurality of magnetic poles axially extending on the peripheral surface , is provided rotatably at the bottom of the developer container 12 . a dc power supply 13 and ac power supply 14 , each connected between the doctor blade 15 and the image - bearing drum 3 , are formed in such a manner that an alternate electric field with an ac bias superimposed on the dc bias can be applied between a magnetic developer 7 to be attracted and conveyed on the surface of the permanent magnet 11 and the image - bearing drum 3 . according to the constitution mentioned above , a magnetic developer 7 is attracted on the surface of the permanent magnet 11 constituting the magnet roller 8 and a magnetic brush ( not shown ) comprising a magnetic developer 7 rubs the surface of the image - bearing drum 3 in the region where the permanent magnet 11 opposite the image - bearing drum 3 . consequently , even after passing said transfer means 6 shown in fig1 the toner remaining on the image - bearing drum 3 is removed and collected using a magnetic brush . at the same time , an electrostatic latent image on the image - bearing drum 3 is also developed using a magnetic brush . the results of image formation by such means as mentioned above will be described . first , prepare a magnetic developer comprising magnetic toner and carriers . the magnetic toner used is produced using a grinding means , contains magnetic powder , is charged negatively , has a mean particle size of 8 μm and indicates a specific volume resistivity of 5 × 10 14 ω . cm and an amount of triboelectric charge of - 15 μc / g . it consists of 55 % styrene - n - butyl methacrylate copolymer ( mw = 21 × 10 4 , mn = 1 . 6 × 10 14 ), 40 % magnetic powder ( toda kogyo corp ., ept500 ), 3 % polypropylene ( sanyo chemical co ., ltd ., tp32 ) and 2 % charging control agent ( orient chemical industries , bontron s34 ) in weight . next , this toner is mixed with carriers comprising flat iron powder , average particle sige of 25 μm ( surface - coated with silicone resin , specific volume resistivity : 10 7 ω . cm ) for preparation of a magnetic developer and estimation of image quality is performed while varying the toner concentration . table 1 shows the obtained results . in this case , an image - bearing drum 3 shown in fig2 is formed by opc to set the surface potential at - 600 v and the peripheral speed at 25 mm / s . a permanent magnet 11 is formed using cylinder - shaped ferrite magnet with an outer diameter of 20 mm , magnetic poles of 16 , and a surface magnetic flux density of 400 g to set the number of rotation at 150 rpm , developing gap g at 0 . 5 mm , doctor gap t at 0 . 4 mm , dc bias voltage at - 550 v , ac bias voltage vp - p at 400 v and frequency at 500 hz . table 1______________________________________toner concentration cleaningno . ( weight %) image density fog density ability______________________________________1 10 1 . 30 0 . 07 ∘ 2 30 1 . 38 0 . 09 ∘ 3 50 1 . 40 0 . 10 ∘ 4 70 1 . 42 0 . 11 x______________________________________ table 1 reveals that the image density rises and the degree of cleaning improves with increasing toner concentration in a magnetic developer . in no . 4 , however , it is noticed that the fog density becomes higher and the cleaning ability is lowered . the results of similar image estimation made with a magnetic developer composed of non - magnetic toner and carriers will be described . the non - magnetic toner is negative charged , average particle size of 9 μm , produced using a grinding means like the above - mentioned magnetic toner , and has a specific volume resistivity of 6 × 10 14 ω . cm and amount of triboelectric charge of - 23 μc / g . it consists of 85 % styrene - n - butyl mathacrylate copolymer , 10 % carbon black ( mitsubishi chemical industries , ltd ., # 50 ), 3 % polypropylene ( sanyo chemical co ., ltd ., tp32 ), 2 % charging control agent ( orient chemical industries , bontron s34 ) in weight . in a magnetic developer prepared by mixing the non - magnetic toner mentioned above with cu -- zn ferrite carriers , average particle size of 30 μm , ( hitachi metals ltd ., kbn - 220 , no surface coating ), estimation of image quality was performed with varied toner concentration . table 2 shows the obtained results . in this case , a permanent magnet 11 shown in fig2 is formed using cylinder - shaped ferrite magnet with an outer diameter of 20 mm , 32 magnetic poles , and a surface magnetic flux density of 250 g to set the developing gap g at 0 . 4 mm , doctor gap t at 0 . 35 mm , and dc bias voltage at - 550 v . the other developing conditions are the same as with above - mentioned . table 2______________________________________toner concentration cleaningno . ( weight %) image density fog density ability______________________________________5 10 1 . 35 0 . 08 ∘ 6 30 1 . 37 0 . 10 ∘ 7 50 1 . 41 0 . 10 ∘ 8 70 1 . 43 0 . 13 x______________________________________ as with fig1 fig2 reveals that no . 8 indicates a high fog density and a lower cleaning ability whereas nos . 5 to 7 produce a distinct image and a good cleaning ability . the results of estimation made for a magnetic developer containing apherical color toner produced by polymerization process will be described . first , color toner was produced , for example , as follows : as raw material , 70 parts of styrene , 30 parts of n - butyl methacrylate , 0 . 5 part of divinyl benzene , 0 . 5 part of t - lauryl mercaptan , 2 parts of azo bisisobutylonitrile , 5 parts of magenta ( c . i . pigment r122 ), 1 . 0 part of polyesteric dispersant ( polyhexamethylene adipate ) and 2 parts of charging control agent ( orient chemical industries , ltd ., bontron e - 88 ) in weight were weighed , brought together , then mixed for 2 hours by means of a ball mill . next , put 1000 parts of ion exchange water and 15 parts of silica ( nippon aerogel co ., ltd ., aerogel # 130 ) in a receptacle and stir by means of a homogenizer ( nippon tokushu kika kogyo k . k ., homomixer ), further add 0 . 5 part of γ - anilinomethyl trimethoxy silane ( torre silicone co ., ltd ., sz6083 ), and stir the mixture . add the monomer - composed mixture into the dispersion medium , then disperse and granulate it for 10 minutes at 6000 rpm . after nitrogen substitution of the reaction receptacle , replace the homogenizer with a stirring apparatus having paddle stirring vanes , raise the temperature to 70 ° c . while continuing a stir at 120 rpm , and allow to react for 10 hours . put the obtained polymer in a cool water , dehydrate after filtration , alkali cleansing , and water cleansing , and drying under reduced pressure at 40 ° c . for 12 hours to obtain toner particles , average particle size of 6 μm . a specific volume resistivity and amount of triboelectric charge showed 9 × 10 10 ω . cm and - 29 . 5 μc / g , respectively . in a magnetic developer prepared by mixing the non - magnetic color toner with flat iron powder , average particle size of 25 μm , ( surface coated with silicone resin , a specific volume resistivity : 10 8 ω . cm ), estimation of image quality was performed with varied toner concentration . table 3 shows the obtained results . in this case , a permanent magnet 11 shown in fig2 is formed using a cylinder - shaped sr ferrite type rubber magnet with an outer diameter of 20 mm , magnetic poles of 24 , and a surface magnetic flux density of 200 g laid on the periphery of a steel - made shaft having an outer diameter of 6 mm to set developing gap g at 0 . 4 mm , doctor gap t at 0 . 3 mm , and dc bias voltage at - 550 v . the other development conditions are the same as with the above - mentioned . table 3 is accompanied by control examples of image formation made with a magnet roller , formed by coaxially and rotatably installing a sleeve made of sus304 around a permanent magnet 11 ( formed of ferrite sintered magnet ) with the main magnetic pole having a surface magnetic flux density of 650 g fixed opposite the image - bearing drum 3 shown in fig2 except for setting the number of rotations in a sleeve at 150 rpm , the other conditions are the same as with the sr ferrite rubber magnet mentioned above . table 3______________________________________ toner fog clean - concentration image den - ing scatter ofdivision no . ( weight %) density sity ability toner______________________________________embodi - 9 5 1 . 33 0 . 07 ∘ noment 10 10 1 . 37 0 . 08 ∘ no 11 20 1 . 41 0 . 08 ∘ no 12 30 1 . 41 0 . 09 x nocontrol 13 5 1 . 25 0 . 08 δ no 14 7 1 . 30 0 . 09 x yes 15 10 1 . 35 0 . 13 x yes______________________________________ table 3 reveals that no . 13 in the control shows not only a low image density but also rather less cleaning ability , and image density and fog density simultaneously rise , lowering the cleaning ability , scattering toner , and deteriorating the image quality noticeably , with increasing toner concentration . in contrast with this , a high - quality image was confirmed to be obtained for the embodiment . although only no . 12 shows low cleaning ability yet nos . 9 to 11 shows little fog and good cleaning ability . in the embodiment 1 , a dc power supply 13 and ac power supply 14 are connected to the doctor blade 15 , but may be connected to the surface of the magnet roller 8 on which a metal layer ( e . g ., sus304 foil , thickness of 10 μm ) is formed , giving a similar image . because of having the constitution and operation described above , the first invention can provide the following effects : ( 1 ) since the magnet roller comprises only a permanent magnet and a sleeve and a cleaning means can be omitted , the developing device and image forming device can be made smaller in size . ( 2 ) since a magnetic developer is so constructed as to be attracted directly and conveyed on the surface of a permanent magnet , the conveyability and stability in the shape of a magnetic brush improves and the developing and cleaning ability is good , thus producing a high - quality image . ( 3 ) even if toner in a magnetic developer is small - particle - sized and / or spherical , the residual toner in the developing and cleaning region can be completely removed and collected from the surface of the image - bearing body . ( 4 ) since the toner concentration in a magnetic developer can be set over a wide range , a toner concentration control means , for example , need not to be used , thus permitting the whole apparatus to be made compact . fig3 is a principal sectional view illustrating one example of a developer in the embodiment of the second invention and like constituent is denoted by the same reference symbol as with fig6 . the developing unit 102 in fig3 corresponds to the developing unit 102y , 102m , 102c , 102bk shown in fig6 and differs only in the color of accommodated toner but is identical in constitution . the developing roller 103 is formed like a cylinder using , say , an isotropic ferrite magnet with a plurality of magnetic poles axially extending being so arranged on the peripheral surface that n and s poles may appear alternatively , and rotatably provided on the left bottom end of the developer container 109 . reference symbol 110 , 111 , and 112 denote a developer reserver , toner reserver , and stirring vanes , respectively . a doctor blade 113 is provided via a doctor gap t spaced from the surface of the developing roller 103 at the lateral part of the developer container 109 for controlling the layer thickness of magnetic developer 114 to be attracted on the surface of the developing roller 103 . a dc power supply 115 and ac power supply 116 are connected between the image - bearing drum 101 and the doctor blade 113 and used for applying an alternate electric field with superimposition of a dc bias and ac bias to between the image - bearing drum 101 and the magnetic developer 114 . symbol g denotes a development gap . by disposing four developing unit 102 as constituted above close by the image - bearing drum 101 as shown in fig6 the image forming device is formed . that is , in fig3 a rotation of the developing roller 3 in the direction of the arrow causes magnetic developer 114 to be attracted and conveyed on the surface of the developing roller 103 . when the magnetic developer 114 reaches the developing region opposite the image - bearing drum 101 , toner in the magnetic developer 114 is put to an image formed on the surface of the image - bearing drum 101 under action of an alternate electric field with superimposition of an ac bias and dc bias , thereby permitting a development of the image . consequently , a color image comprising the image of each individual color superposed thereon can be formed . the results of image formation using the developing unit 102 shown in fig3 will be described . first , prepare a magnetic developer mainly comprising non - magnetic toner and magnetic carriers . the black toner used consists of 85 % styrene - acryl copolymer , 10 % coloring agent ( carbon black , mitsubishi chemical industries , ltd ., # 44 ), 3 % polypropylene ( sanyo chemical co ., ltd ., tp32 ) and 2 % charging control agent ( orient chemical industries , bontron s34 ) in weight . toner of a color other than black consists of 90 % polyester ( nippon carbide industries co ., ltd ., ncp11 ), 8 % coloring agent , 1 % polypropylene ( sanyo chemical co ., ltd ., tp32 ) and 1 % charging control agent ( orient chemical industries , bontron e88 ( white )) in weight , where cyan : c . i . pigment blue 15 - 3 , magenta : c . i . pigment red 122 and yellow : c . i . pigment yellow 12 are used as coloring agents . each individual toner mentioned above averages particle size of 7 μm . a magnetic developer is prepared by mixing said non - magnetic toner and flat iron powder , average particle size of 25 μm ( coated with silicone resin ) and estimation of image quality ( provided for monocolor images ) is performed with varied toner concentration . table 4 shows the obtained results . in this case , the image - bearing drum 101 shown in fig3 is formed by opc to set the surface potential at - 500 v and the peripheral speed at 25 mm / s . the developing roller 103 is formed using a cylinder - shaped ferrite magnet with an outer diameter of 20 mm , magnetic of 16 poles , and the surface magnetic flux density of 550 g to set the number of rotations at 150 rpm , developing gap g at 0 . 6 mm , doctor gap t at 0 . 3 mm , dc bias voltage at - 450 v , ac bias voltage vp - p at 800 v , and frequency at 200 hz . the image is fixed by use of heat roller on which silicone oil supplied by sponge roller . imagine densities in table 4 are measured using a filter expect for black . table 4______________________________________toner fog absence of fine lineconcentration kind of image den - spreadness uneven - no . ( weight %) color density sity of toner ness______________________________________1 5 cyan 1 . 28 0 . 07 ∘ ∘ 2 10 magenta 1 . 33 0 . 08 ∘ ∘ 3 30 yellow 1 . 40 0 . 08 ∘ ∘ 4 50 black 1 . 38 0 . 09 ∘ ∘ 5 60 cyan 1 . 39 0 . 10 ∘ ∘ 6 70 magenta 1 . 40 0 . 13 δ δ______________________________________ table 4 reveals that the image density generally increases with rising toner concentration , but in no . 6 the fog density also increases , dust and a fine - line unevenness occurs and the image quality deteriorates . in contrast with this , nos . 1 to 5 were confirmed to give a high - quality image without spread of toner or fine - line unevenness . in the embodiment 2 , jumping development with non - magnetic toner used also for a black image are described , but single - component magnetic toner may be used or a mixture of magnetic toner and carriers may be used for forming a black image . further , a contact type where a magnetic brush rubs the surface of an image - bearing drum may be also used as a developing process . though connected to the doctor blade 113 , an dc power supply 115 and ac power supply 116 may be connected to the surface of the magnet roller 103 on which a metal layer is formed as mentioned above , giving a similar image . because of having the constitution and operation described above , the second invention provides the following effects : ( 1 ) since the developing roller comprises only a permanent magnet and directly adsorbs and conveys magnetic developer on its outer surface , a stable magnetic brush is formed , thus permitting a high quality image without scattering of toner or contaminating of color to be formed . ( 2 ) since the permanent magnet serving as a support means for magnetic developer is a hard material , the surface hardly wears and is not liable to deteriorate with age , thereby permitting a promotion in durability . ( 3 ) even for a larger development gap , a stable high - quality image can be obtained . ( 4 ) since the toner concentration in a magnetic developer can be set over a wide range , a toner concentration control means , for example , need not to be used , thus permitting the whole apparatus to be made compact . ( 5 ) a permanent magnet constituting the developing roller needs no higher precision working than is required , thus permitting a reduction in production cost . fig4 is a principal transverse sectional view illustrating one example of a developing unit in the embodiment of the third invention and like components are denoted by the same reference symbol as with fig5 . the permanent magnet 204 in fig4 is formed of a semiconductive or insulating , say , isotropic ferrite magnet having a specific volume resistivity of more than 10 6 ω . cm , on whose peripheral surface a plurality of magnetic poles axially extending are provided in a cylindrical shape , and is rotatably provided on the bottom end of the developer container 201 . a dc power supply 210 is connected between the doctor blade 205 and the image - bearing drum 203 . a magnetic toner is prepared as negatively charged particles , average particle size of 7 μm and having a specific volume resistivity of 2 × 10 14 ω . cm and amount of triboelectric charge of - 21 . 5 μc / g . the ratio of each constituent is as follows : polyester resin ( nippon carbide industries co ., ltd ., ncp33b ) 70 ; magnetite ( toda kogyo corp ., ept500 ) 2 . 5 ; polypropylene ( sanyo chemical co ., ltd ., tp32 ) 4 ; and charging control agent ( orient chemical industries , bontron e81 ) 1 . to the particles formed of these constituents is added an external additive ( nippon aerogel co ., ltd ., r972 ) 0 . 5 . as magnetic carriers , ba -- ni -- zn ferrite ( hitachi metals ltd ., kbn - 100 ), distributing from 10 to 37 μm and averaging 18 . 5 μm in particle size , indicating a value shown in table 5 of magnetization σ 1000 in 1000 oe , and having a specific volume resistivity of 7 . 2 × 10 8 ω . cm . further , the image - bearing drum 203 is formed by opc to set the surface potential at - 700 v and the peripheral speed at 25 mm / s . the permanent magnet 204 is so formed as to have an outer diameter of 20 mm , magnetic poles of 16 , and a surface magnetic flux density of 500 g to set the developing gap g at 0 . 4 mm , doctor gap t at 0 . 3 mm , and dc bias voltage at - 550 v . table 5 shows the results of image estimation with varied toner concentration and σ 1000 . table 5______________________________________ initial toner concentration σ . sub . 1000 fogno . ( weight %) ( emu / g ) image density (%) ______________________________________1 3 48 1 . 15 0 . 122 5 1 . 33 0 . 073 30 1 . 35 0 . 154 50 1 . 37 0 . 185 80 1 . 37 0 . 276 85 1 . 37 0 . 767 50 10 1 . 36 0 . 228 20 1 . 36 0 . 259 35 1 . 35 0 . 15______________________________________ table 5 reveals that with a value of σ 1000 kept constant and varied toner concentration , no . 1 shows a low - value image density because of a low toner concentration , whereas no . 6 shows the occurrence of fog because of a high toner concentration . in contrast with these , nos . 2 to 5 show a high image density and no fog , thus providing a good image . in cases with the toner concentration kept constant and varied low values of σ 1000 , nos . 7 to 9 provide a good image without attach to the image - bearing member of carriers or occurrence of fog . ten thousand continuous printing tests under conditions of no . 4 in table 5 provided a good image in which the toner concentration varies within the range of 45 to 60 weight %, the image density is 1 . 35 or over , and the occurrence of fog is 0 . 5 % or less . however , the torque of the permanent magnet 204 ( cf . fig4 ) remains at a value of 0 . 7 kg cm . as the control , an image formation was performed by applying the aforesaid magnetic developer to an image forming means of a type allowing the sleeve alone to rotate with the sleeve disposed outside the aforesaid permanent magnet 204 . the obtained results show that the surface magnetic flux density of the permanent magnet 204 is 850 g ( 790 g on the sleeve ), the toner concentration without occurrence of fog ranges from 20 to 30 weight % but fog exceeds 0 . 5 % for a toner concentration of more than 30 weight %, and attach to the image - bearing member of carriers occurs for a toner concentration of less than 20 weight %. next , non - magnetic toner , average particle size of 8 . 5 μm , indicating a specific volume resistivity of 5 × 10 14 ω . cm and an amount of triboelectric charge of - 25 . 8 μc / g , is prepared . it consists of 87 % styrene - acryl resin , 8 % carbon black ( mitsubishi chemical industries ltd ., ma - 100 ), 1 % charging control agent ( orient chemical industries , bontron s - 34 ), and 4 % polypropylene ( sanyo chemical co ., ltd ., tp32 ) in weight . to the particles formed of these constituents is added 0 . 5 % external additive ( hextwacker co ., ltd ., h2000 ). as magnetic carriers , resin bonded carriers , average particle size of 10 μm , indicating a specific volume resistivity of 5 × 10 8 ω . cm and magnetization σ 1000 = 35 emu / g are used . it consists of 49 % stylen - acryl resin , 50 % magnetite ( kanto denka , k . k ., kbc - 100 ), and 1 % charging control agent ( orient chemical industries , oil black by ) in weight . onto the surface of particles formed of these constituents is deposited 0 . 5 weight % carbon black ( mitsubishi chemical industries ltd ., ma - 600 ). the triboelectric charge is + 5 . 1 μc / g . further , the image - bearing drum 203 shown in fig4 is formed in a manner similar to that of the first and second embodiments . the permanent magnet 204 is so formed as to have an outer diameter of 20 mm , magnetic poles of 32 , and a surface magnetic flux density of 400 g to set the developing gap g at 0 . 4 mm , doctor gap t at 0 . 25 mm , and dc bias voltage at - 600 v . table 6 shows the results of image estimation with varied toner concentration . table 6______________________________________ initial toner concentration σ . sub . 1000 fogno . ( weight %) ( emu / g ) image density (%) ______________________________________11 3 35 1 . 20 0 . 1012 5 1 . 31 0 . 1513 40 1 . 36 0 . 2214 70 1 . 37 0 . 3015 85 1 . 37 0 . 85______________________________________ table 6 reveals that no . 11 with a toner concentration of 3 % shows a low image density , whereas no . 15 with a toner concentration of 85 % shows occurrence of fog . in contrast with these , nos . 12 to 14 provide a good image without fog and with a high image density . ten thousand continuous printing tests under conditions of no . 13 in table 6 provided a good image in which the toner concentration varies within the range of 40 to 65 weight % without being equipped with a toner concentration sensor , the image density is 1 . 35 or over , and the occurrence of fog is 0 . 5 % or less . however , the torque of the permanent magnet 204 ( cf . fig4 ) remains at a value of 0 . 3 kg - cm . as control , image formation was performed by using a magnetic developer comprising the aforesaid one and spherical reduced iron powder carriers ( σ 1000 oe = 125 emu / g ), average particle size of 100 μm ( distributing from 74 to 149 μm ), under conditions ( initial toner concentration of 10 weight %) similar to the aforesaid . the obtained results show that the toner concentration varies from 10 to 20 weight %. occurrence of fog is observed for a toner concentration of not less than 15 weight % and the torque of the permanent magnet 204 needs 2 . 0 kg - cm . on the contrary , continuous printing tests at an initial toner concentration of 10 weight % while being equipped with a toner concentration sensor shows that fog exceeds 0 . 5 % for 5 , 000 or more print tests and exceeds 1 % for 10 , 000 print tests . in addition , spent phenomena are noticed on the surface of magnetic carriers . though connected to the doctor blade 205 in the embodiment 3 , an dc power supply 210 may be connected to the surface of the developing roller , on which a metal layer is formed as mentioned above , comprising a permanent magnet 204 , giving a similar image . because of having the constitution and operation described above , the third invention can provide the following effects : ( 1 ) since the developing roller comprises only a permanent magnet , the developing device can be made small in size , thus permitting the whole image forming device to be miniaturized . ( 2 ) since the permanent magnet serving as a support means for magnetic developer is a hard material , the surface hardly wears and is not liable to deteriorate with age , thereby permitting a promotion in durability . ( 3 ) use of small - grain - sized magnetic carriers permits a high - precision and high - quality image to be obtained . ( 4 ) since the toner concentration in a magnetic developer can be set over a wide range , a toner concentration control means , for example , need not to be used , thus permitting the whole apparatus to be made compact . ( 5 ) a permanent magnet constituting the developing roller needs no higher precision working than is required , thus permitting a reduction in production cost . in the embodiment of the fourth invention , emulsion ( solid components : 20 weight %) comprising stylene - acrylic copolymer particles , not greater than 1 μm in grain size , is obtained by allowing to polymerization react at 70 ° c . for 8 hours after stirring 91 parts of styrene , 8 . 7 parts of 2 - ethyl hexyl acrylate , and 0 . 3 part of divinyl benzene , in a water solution composed of 400 parts of ion exchange water , 1 part of hydroxypropylcellulose , and 5 parts of potassium persulfate in weight and dropping the mixed solution in an atmosphere of nitrogen . disperse 80 parts of magnetic powder ( toda corp ., mta - 305 ) previously surface processed with silane coupling agent ( toray silicone co ., ltd ., sz6083 ) and 1 part of charging control agent ( nippon chemical industrial co ., ltd ., kaya charge t - 2n ) in 500 parts of the emulsion and hold it while stirring at 70 ° c . for 3 hours . in this case , because of being processed above the glass transition temperature of resin components , particles including polymers aggregate and aggregations , average particle size of 7 μm , are formed . after cooling , add 0 . 5 part of silica ( wacker co ., ltd ., h - 2000 ) to aggregated particles obtained by filtration , water washing , and vacuum drying , thus producing a magnetic toner . this magnetic toner indicates a specific volume resistivity of 10 15 ω . cm and an amount of charge of - 26 μc / g . as the control , obtain magnetic toner ( spherical particles ) having a composition similar to the aforesaid by a publicly known polymerization process . this magnetic toner has an average particle size of 6 . 5 μm and indicates a specific volume resistivity of 10 15 ω . cm and an amount of triboelectric charge of - 18 μc / g . a magnetic developer is obtained by mixing the aforesaid magnetic toner with magnetic carriers indicating a specific volume resistivity of 10 11 ω . cm , prepared by surface coating hetero shaped iron powder , average particle size of 25 μm , with silicone resin , and developing is performed using a developer shown in fig5 . table 7 shows the results of image estimation in this development . in this case , the image - bearing drum 203 shown in fig5 is formed by opc to set the surface potential at - 600 v and the peripheral speed at 25 mm / s . the permanent magnet 204 is formed using cylinder - shaped ferrite magnet with an outer diameter of 20 mm , magnetic poles of 16 , and the surface magnetic flux density of 400 g to set the number of rotations at 150 rpm a developing gap g at 0 . 5 and a doctor gap t at 0 . 4 mm . an alternate electric field with an ac bias voltage vp - p = 400 v superimposed on the dc bias voltage of - 550v is applied through the doctor blade 205 at a frequency of 500 hz . table 7______________________________________ toner life of concen - back - clean - image - divi - tration image ground ing bearingsion no . ( weight %) density fog ability drum ( sheet ) ______________________________________em - 1 5 1 . 38 0 . 8 ∘ ≧ 100 , 000bodi - 2 10 1 . 39 0 . 9 ∘ ≧ 100 , 000ment 3 15 1 . 42 1 . 3 ∘ ≧ 100 , 000 4 40 1 . 41 1 . 4 ∘ ≧ 100 , 000 5 50 1 . 41 1 . 5 ∘ ≧ 100 , 000 6 60 1 . 46 2 . 3 ∘ ≧ 100 , 000 7 70 1 . 47 2 . 7 ∘ ≧ 100 , 000control 8 15 1 . 36 7 . 5 x 20 , 000______________________________________ note : background fog is determined by visual inspection . because the valu is smaller , the background less . ( practical range : 2 or less ) table 7 reveals that use of globular magnetic toner for control brings about a much background fog , poor cleaning ability , and a short life for the ion - bearing drum . in nos . 6 and 7 , background fog is somewhat large . on the contrary , nos . 1 to 5 bring about a high image density , slight background fog , and a good cleaning ability , and can improve the life of the image - bearing drum more than five times than that of the conventional . the toner concentration is found to be set preferably at 5 to 50 weight %. the embodiment 4 describes one example using a two - component magnetic developer comprising magnetic toner and magnetic carrier , but a two - component developer containing non - magnetic toner or a single - component developer comprising only magnetic toner can be expected to bring about similar effects . though applied to the doctor blade 205 in the embodiment 4 , voltage may be applied to the surface of the developing roller , on which a metal layer is formed as mentioned above , comprising a permanent magnet 204 , giving a similar image . because of having the constitution and operation described above , the fourth invention can provide the following effects : ( 1 ) since toner in a magnetic developer in non - spherical , the residual toner , even if small in particle size , can be easily and completely removed and collected from the surface of the image - bearing body . ( 2 ) since the residual toner can be removed from the surface of the image - bearing body , formation of toner film is prevented and the life of the image - bearing body can be prolonged . ( 3 ) since the developer comprising only a permanent magnet , the sleeve can be omitted , thus permitting the developing device and image forming device to be made small in size . ( 4 ) since a magnetic developer is so arranged as to be directly attracted and held on the surface of a permanent magnet , the conveyability and the stability in the shape of a magnetic brush improves and the developing ability is good , thus permitting a high - quality image to be obtained . ( 5 ) in the case of using a two - component magnetic developer , the toner concentration in a magnetic developer can be set over a wide range and a toner concentration control means can be omitted , thus permitting the whole apparatus to be made compact .
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fig1 . is a drawing depicting a device under test ( dut ) and test equipment configured for testing the dut in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention . the test equipment includes an adapter board , such as adapter board 120 , and a tester , such as tester 110 . device 140 is a dut , such as an application specific integrated circuit ( asic ) semiconductor device , or any other suitable dut . device 140 includes connection terminals , such as connection terminals 261 through 268 and 271 through 278 . connection terminals of devices with pin grid array ( pga ) packages are pins , and connection terminals of devices with ball grid array ( bga ) packages are solder balls . as seen in fig2 , device 140 includes an internal power bus including a vdd component , such as vdd 241 , and a vss component , such as vss 242 . also , dut 140 includes internal circuitry , such as circuit 243 , which is the circuitry being subjected to testing , i . e ., the object of test . the internal power bus and internal circuitry connect to the device &# 39 ; s connection terminals , via internal circuit pathways , for receiving power and for sending and receiving test signals . two or more power connection terminals connect to each component of the internal power bus , positioned in any manner . here , device 140 has eight power connection terminals connected to the internal power bus , four power connection terminals ( e . g ., 261 , 263 , 265 , 267 ) connected to vdd 241 , and four power connection terminals ( e . g ., 262 , 264 , 266 , 268 ) connected to vss 242 , as seen in fig2 . also , any number of signal connection terminals connect to the internal circuitry , for receiving input signals and / or sending output signals , positioned in any manner . here , device 140 has eight signal connection terminals ( e . g ., 271 through 278 ) connected to circuit 243 . the test equipment can perform testing by supplying input signals to circuit 243 via input signal connection terminals , extracting output signals from circuit 243 via output signal connection terminals , and comparing the values of the output signals to values in a test specification . adapter board 120 is a printed circuit board ( pcb ), or any other suitable type of adapter board , and the like . adapter board 120 includes circuits for simulating a field environment for testing a dut . this circuitry includes integrated circuits , discrete components , and the like . for example , an adapter board for testing a network card microprocessor dut includes circuitry that simulates a network card deployed in the field under actual use . also , adapter board 120 includes circuits for creating the test environment , such as buffer 150 , and one or more power supply busses , such as adapter board vdd bus 191 and adapter board vss bus 192 . adapter board 120 includes leads , such as leads 161 through 168 , 171 through 178 , and 181 through 184 , and connectors , such as connectors 121 and 122 , for connecting to testers , such as tester 110 , input devices , output devices , power supplies , and the like . leads include solder traces , wires , cables , ribbon cable , jumpers , and the like . the connectors enable adapter board 120 to removably connect to testers , such as tester 110 , input devices , output devices , power supplies , and the like . connectors include sockets , plugs , bus connectors , and the like . bus connectors are , for example , usb , pci , pxi , lan , gpib , and vxi bus connectors , and the like . adapter board 120 includes socket 130 . socket 130 is a removably attachable socket having pogo pins , or any other suitable socket , and the like . socket 130 has two sides , one side attaching to adapter board 120 , and another side holding device 140 . the side of socket 130 holding device 140 has one or more contact points ( e . g ., 61 through 68 and 71 through 78 ) for connecting to each of device 140 &# 39 ; s connection terminals . contact points of sockets for holding devices with pga packages are holes , and contact points of sockets for holding devices with bga packages are pogo pins . socket 130 &# 39 ; s contact points form removably attachable connections with device 140 &# 39 ; s connection terminals , allowing device 140 to be removed from the socket after testing . here , socket 130 has sixteen contact points , eight contact points ( e . g ., 61 through 68 ) for forming connections with device 140 &# 39 ; s eight power connection terminals ( e . g ., 261 through 268 ), and eight contact points ( e . g ., 71 through 78 ) for forming connections with device 140 &# 39 ; s eight signal connection terminals ( e . g ., 271 through 278 ), respectively . the side of socket 130 attaching to adapter board 120 includes one or more connection terminals ( not shown ) connected through the socket to each of the socket &# 39 ; s contact points . socket 130 &# 39 ; s connection terminals are pins , solder balls , or the like . here , socket 130 &# 39 ; s connection terminals attach to adapter board 120 via leads 161 through 168 and 171 through 178 . tester 110 is a tester capable of sending and receiving test signals to a dut and supplying power to a dut . the tester includes a user interface , an operating system , and a power supply 215 ( fig2 ), connected to one or more test components 214 ( fig2 ) via a bus . the user interface is , for example , a software user interface running on a computer . the operating system is , for example , microsoft windows , a proprietary operating system , or the like . the bus is usb , pci , pxi , lan , gpib , vxi , or the like . the tester uses the power supply to supply power to a dut , and uses one or more test components to send and receive signals to a dut . compensation unit 211 and comparator unit 212 can be implemented as a combination of hardware and / or software modules . in the present embodiment , connectors 121 and 122 connect tester 110 to adapter board 120 , and socket 130 holds device 140 . buffer 150 is a low pass filter circuit , such as an integrated circuit , a discrete circuit , or the like . device 140 &# 39 ; s eight power connection terminals 261 through 268 are connected to leads 161 through 168 via socket 130 , respectively . also , device 140 &# 39 ; s eight signal connection terminals 271 through 278 are connected to leads 171 through 178 via socket 130 , respectively . the test equipment is configured to supply power to a first power connection terminal based on a voltage level monitored at a second power connection terminal . here , the test equipment is configured to supply power to power connection terminals 263 through 268 based on a voltage level monitored at power connection terminals 261 and 262 . leads 163 , 165 , and 167 connect power connection terminals 263 , 265 , and 267 to adapter board vdd bus 191 , and leads 164 , 166 , and 168 connect power connection terminals 264 , 266 , and 268 to adapter board vss bus 192 , through socket 130 . tester 110 supplies power to adapter board vdd bus 191 and adapter board vss bus 192 via leads 183 and 184 . leads 161 and 162 connect power connection terminals 261 and 262 to inputs of buffer 150 , through socket 130 . leads 181 and 182 connect outputs of buffer 150 to tester 110 . tester 110 monitors the voltages at power connection terminals 261 and 262 through leads 181 and 182 , buffer 150 , leads 161 and 162 , and then socket 130 . leads 171 through 178 connect signal connection terminals 271 through 278 to tester 110 , through socket 130 . fig2 . is a schematic diagram depicting test equipment configured for testing a device in accordance with the fig1 embodiment of the invention . as seen in fig2 , device 140 is the same as described in the detailed description of fig1 . device 140 includes an internal power bus including a vdd component , such as vdd 241 , and a vss component , such as vss 242 . also , device 140 includes internal circuitry , such as circuit 243 . the internal power bus and internal circuitry are interconnected via internal circuit pathways , such as , for example , etchings in the silicon of the device . also , the internal power bus and internal circuitry are connected to device 140 &# 39 ; s connection terminals , such as connection terminals 261 through 268 and 271 through 278 , via internal circuit pathways , for receiving power and for sending and receiving signals . in operation , during a pre - test mode , power supply 215 of tester 110 supplies power to vdd 241 and vss 242 through adapter board 120 . tester 110 then monitors the voltage of vdd 241 and vss 242 through buffer 150 , which reduces voltage noise . comparator unit 212 of tester 110 then compares the monitored voltage of vdd 241 and the monitored voltage of vss 242 with vdd - vss target 213 . if the monitored voltage of vdd 241 and the monitored voltage of vss 242 are equal to vdd - vss target 213 , compensation unit 211 fixes the voltage of power supply 215 , and tester 110 enters a test mode where it performs testing by causing test component 214 to send and receive signals to circuit 243 . if the monitored voltage of vdd 241 and the monitored voltage of vss 242 are not equal to vdd - vss target 213 , compensation unit 211 increases the power supplied by power supply 215 . tester 110 continues monitoring the voltage of vdd 241 and vss 242 and increasing the power supplied by power supply 215 until the monitored voltage of vdd 241 and the monitored voltage of vss 242 are equal to vdd - vss target 213 , after which the voltages are fixed and tester 110 enters the test mode . during test mode , test component 214 supplies input signals to circuit 243 via input signal connection terminals ( e . g ., 271 through 278 ), extracts output signals via output signal connection terminals ( e . g ., 271 through 278 ), and compares the values of the output signals to values in a test specification . fig3 . is a flowchart depicting the process steps described above for testing a device under test . in step s 300 , test equipment is configured to supply power to a first power connection terminal of a dut that has two or more power connection terminals , and monitor power at a second power connection terminal . once the test equipment is configured , the test equipment supplies power to the dut , and processing proceeds to step s 301 . in step 301 , the test equipment monitors a voltage level at the second power connection terminal . after the test equipment acquires the value of the voltage level at the second power connection terminal , processing proceeds to step s 302 where the test equipment compares the voltage value acquired in step s 301 to a target voltage value . if the voltage value acquired in step s 301 does not equal the target voltage value , processing proceeds to step s 303 where the test equipment adjusts the voltage at the second power connection terminal by increasing the power supplied to the dut . after the test equipment modifies the power supplied to the dut , processing proceeds to step s 301 where the test equipment monitors the voltage at the second power connection terminal again . this process continues until the voltage value acquired in step s 301 is within a range of acceptable voltage values in relation the target voltage value . if the voltage value acquired in step s 301 equals the target voltage value , processing proceeds to step s 304 where the test equipment performs testing by sending and receiving signals to the dut , and by comparing the values of received signals to values in a test specification . once the test equipment has performed testing , processing proceeds to step s 305 which outputs diagnostic results of the test and then ends . while the invention has been particularly shown and described with respect to a preferred embodiment thereof , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention .
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fig2 is a schematic illustration of a system 5 according to the present invention as utilized to perform a dynamic stress relieving procedure or an accelerated fatigue testing procedure on a workpiece 10 held in a support structure 12 . first and second transducers 15 and 17 are coupled to workpiece 10 , and the operation of system 5 is that resonant vibrations are detected by the first transducer ( designated the detector ) and fed back to the second transducer ( designated the driver ) to maintain oscillation of the workpiece . more specifically , detector 15 communicates an electrical signal representative of the vibrations to a high pass filter 18 , the output of which is amplified by an amplification system including an amplifier 20 , and the amplified output is communicated to driver 17 which is coupled to workpiece 10 . amplifier 20 may have associated input and output level monitors 22 and 23 and a gain control 25 . a spectrum analyzer 27 may be coupled to the amplifier output to provide information as to which modes are being preferentially excited . the operation of the system is basically as follows . resonant vibrations at a large number of the harmonics are excited in workpiece 10 by any convenient means such as applying a small impulse , for example , with a hammer . of the resonant vibrations sensed by detector 15 , at least some of the higher resonant frequencies are amplified by amplifier 20 , the output of which is applied to driver 17 to excite workpiece 10 . thus , for some of the frequencies , the feedback is positive so that system 5 functions as an oscillator so that the vibrations of workpiece are self sustaining . it will , however , be appreciated that for any given relative positioning of detector 15 and driver 17 , the positive feedback necessary for oscillation will be present for some of the higher modes but not others . nevertheless , so long as neither detector 15 nor driver 17 is mounted at a location that is a node for all the frequencies of interest , at least some of the higher vibrational modes will be sustained within workpiece 10 . at frequencies on the order of 30 khz , the vibration waves are generally confined to the surface and propagate relatively freely over the entire surface of the workpiece . typical wavelengths within this frequency range are on the order of less than a few millimeters , so that substantially the entire surface of the workpiece is subjected to vibrations at at least some of the higher resonant modes , and the points of maximum moment are generally uniformly distributed over the surface . as discussed above , an important feature of the higher modes is that relatively low amplitude vibrations are characterized by a maximum moment that is comparable to the moment produced with a much larger amplitude vibration at the fundamental frequency . indeed , for the special case of a simply supported beam struck at its center , the maximum moments for all the resonant modes are the same . the above - described operation of the present invention may be achieved with any convenient sensors or detectors . for example , a sensor whose output signal is proportional to velocity may be used , since , as described above in connection with equation 9 , the maximum particle velocities for all the modes are equal . a suitable sensor that responds to velocity is described in my copending u . s . patent application ser . no . 963 , 476 , filed nov . 24 , 1978 , and entitled &# 34 ; structural vibration sensor ,&# 34 ; now u . s . pat . no . 4 , 314 , 201 issued feb . 2 , 1982 the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference . such a sensor utilizes a pickoff coil , so that the product of angular frequency and inductance defines an impedance which tends to determine the upper frequency at which such a sensor provides usable signal . a typical impedance at frequencies in the neighborhood of 30 khz is about 1000 ohms . in the event that it is desired to operate at higher frequencies , a sensor that is responsive to the acceleration of the particles in the workpiece becomes more effective . for example , a piezoelectric device is suitable . driver 17 typically utilizes the ame geometry as detector 15 , but preferably incorporates low impedance coils ( for example 8 ohms ) so that it may be driven with conventional audio power equipment . suitable power amplifiers are manufactured by kepco , inc . of flushing , n . y ., with typical rms power output of up to several hundred watts . in view of the above description , a dynamic stress relieving procedure may now be described . workpiece 10 is first excited with an impulse in order to initiate resonant vibration of workpiece 10 . such initial excitation may actually be unnecessary since the positive feedback in the system may induce spontaneous vibrations . the placement of sensor 15 and driver 17 , and the setting on gain control 25 may be varied to achieve a desired level of vibrations within the workpiece . the total amount of vibration is reflected by input and output monitors 22 and 23 , while spectrum analyzer 27 provides an indication of which frequencies are being reinforced . it is noted that the type of detector described in the referenced application provides a signal that is proportional to the stress in the workpiece . when the oscillations within workpiece 10 are at a sufficiently high level that the local stress maxima are at least as great as the stresses to be relieved , the level is decreased by suitable adjustment to gain control 25 in order to lower the magnitude of the reversing stresses . in view of the high frequencies involved , a proper relaxation cycle may be effected quickly . an accelerated fatigue testing procedure will now be described . broadly , the fatigue testing procedure comprises the steps of inducing resonant oscillations withing workpiece 10 to subject the workpiece to high frequency stress excitations over substantially its entire surface , as described above , and then measuring the length of time until failure occurs . it may be desirable in this application to have the primary excitation at frequencies within a relatively narrow range to facilitate correlations between the time to failure and number of stress cycles . fig3 is a schematic illustration of the present invention as utilized in a nondestructive testing procedure . like reference numerals will be used to denote elements corresponding to those in fig2 . a structural element 30 to be tested is fitted with a detector 15 and a driver 17 in the same closed loop configuration including high pass filter 18 and amplifier 20 . for clarity , monitors 22 and 23 , gain control 25 , and spectrum analyzer 27 are not shown , it being understood that the system will typically incorporate these elements as above . broadly , the nondestructive testing procedure utilizes the high frequency vibrational modes of structural element 30 in order to subject the entire surface of the structural element to stresses . these stresses cause high frequency acoustic emissions which are detected by an appropriate detector 35 , the output signal of which is passed through a filter 37 , designated an ultrahigh pass filter , having a lower cutoff much in excess of the maximum frequency passed by amplifier 20 and filter 18 . the signal passing through filter 37 is amplified by an appropriate amplifier 40 and fed to a monitor 42 which may provide an audible , visual , or other indication of the level of very high frequency emissions detected by detector 35 . for example , the combined effects of the upper frequency cutoff of detector 15 and amplifier 20 , and the lower frequency cutoff of high pass filter 18 might result in an excitation of structural element 30 at frequencies in the range of 10 - 30 khz while ultrahigh pass filter 37 would have a lower frequency cutoff close to 1 mhz . typically , detector 35 would be moved to various places on the surface to detect the acoustic emissions that signify surface microfractures that arise in critical areas of stress concentration and could eventually grow into cracks . in summary , it can be seen that the present invention provides a surprisingly efficient system for controlling the stresses in solid material to allow a number of procedures to be carried out far more easily , quickly , and cheaply than before possible . while the above provides a full and complete disclosure of the preferred embodiments of this invention , various modifications , alternate constructions and equivalents may be employed without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention . for example , the use of a separate high pass filter might be obviated if the bandpass characteristics of amplifier 20 are chosen to provide the desired low frequency cutoff . similarly , different frequency components of vibration may be separated in a network and provided with different phase delays in order to enhance the number of resonant components at which the system provides positive feedback for sustained oscillation . indeed , standard signal processing techniques may be employed to achieve this result and further adjust the relative amplitudes of the components if required . therefore , the above description and illustration should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention which is defined by the appended claims .
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referring now to the drawings in detailn fig1 shows an engine having a cylinder 2 in which a piston 4 can be moved upwardly and downwardly ; the piston is connected by means of a connecting rod 6 to a non - illustrated crankshaft . above the bottom dead center position of the piston 4 , the cylinder is provided with an inlet port 8 and an outlet port 10 , which are respectively opened and closed off directly by the movement of the piston 4 . the design and construction of the aforementioned components can be substantially similar to a conventional two - stroke engine . however , in contrast to conventional engines , that end face of the cylinder 2 that is remote ( or opposite ) from the piston 4 is closed off by means of a disk or plate 12 that is substantially transparent or transmissive for solar radiation as far as possible over the entire spectrum thereof , allows for little reflection of solar radiation at its surface , is resistant to high temperatures , and withstands high pressures . further requirements of the disk 12 will be described subsequently . the disk 12 is advantageously made of quartz glass . disposed on the inner side of the disk 12 , within the working chamber 14 that is formed between the disk 12 and the piston 4 , is a radiation absorber and heat exchanger 16 , which will hereinafter be referred to as a converter ; the construction of the converter will be described in greater detail subsequently in connection with fig5 . the purpose of the converter 16 is to convert the energy that is contained in the radiation that enters through the disk 12 into heat , and to transfer this heat to the working medium that in the top dead center position of the piston 4 is disposed substantially entirely in the converter 16 . disposed above the disk 12 is a radiation focusing device 18 that focuses the solar radiation onto the disk 12 so that the solar radiation passes into the converter 16 . since such radiation focusing devices are known per se , they will not be discussed in detail in this application . it is to be understood that the cylinder 2 could also be arranged in such a way that the radiation that is focused in reflectors passes through the disk 12 from below . it is also to be understood that an engine having several cylinders 2 can be provided , with the pistons thereof operating on a common crankshaft . those regions of such an engine disposed between the disks 12 are then advantageously cooled ( for example watercooled ), if it is not possible for the radiation to be cleanly focused onto the disks 12 , so that the portion of the radiation that strikes this part of the engine can be utilized as thermal energy . it is furthermore to be understood that a radiation focusing device for focusing solar radiation does not necessarily have to be provided outside the disk 12 . for example , a burner or radiation device , the radiation energy of which acts upon the disk 12 , can be provided outside the disk 12 . the radiation transmissivity of the disk 12 is advantageously matched to the respective application . when utilizing solar radiation , for example , as indicated , it is advantageous for the disk to be as transmissive as possible for the wave lengths of solar radiation so that the solar radiation heats up the converter 16 with maximum efficiency , whereas for the radiation emitted by the hot converter the disk 12 should have a maximum reflectivity so that the thermal energy remains in the working chamber 14 . this is achieved by appropriate selection of the material and also possibly by coating the disk 12 . the cylinder 2 illustrated in fig2 is distinguished from that of fig1 essentially in that the disk 12 and the converter 16 are combined to form a component 20 . the embodiment of fig3 differs from that of fig1 essentially in that the converter 16 is fixed directly to the piston 4 . fig4 illustrates an embodiment of a cylinder with its associated crank drive . the mechanism of this construction corresponds to a conventional two - stroke engine that has crankcase scavenging . for this purpose , an inlet conduit 22 opens into the crankcase . a flow transfer conduit 24 extends from the crankcase into the cylinder 2 and opens out approximately opposite the port of an outlet conduit 26 . the ports of the conduits 22 , 24 and 26 are disposed in such a way that toward the end of the compression stroke of the piston 4 , fresh air is drawn into the crankcase , is compressed during the downward movement of the piston , and toward the end of the downward movement passes through the flow transfer conduit 24 into the working chamber , from which the expanded working medium flows out through the outlet conduit 26 . it is to be understood that the flow of the working medium could also be controlled in some other fashion , for example by means of valves , sliders , etc . fig5 shows exemplary embodiments of the converter 16 and the component 20 . the converter 16 is intended to form a &# 34 ; black body &# 34 ; for the incident radiation . in other words , the converter is to absorb the instant radiation to the maximum extent and is to thereby heat up . on the other hand , toward the end of the compression stroke of the piston 4 , the converter 16 is to the maximum extent possible supposed to deliver the energy stored therein to the working medium , especially air , that toward the end of the compression stroke is to the maximum extent disposed in the converter 16 for an effective heat exchange . for this purpose , the converter 16 is advantageously embodied in such a way that it has a high heat conductivity or a capacity to conduct high levels of heat flow , a large surface area on the one hand for receiving the radiation and on the other hand for delivering the stored energy , as well as a defined volume . the advantageous embodiments are , for example , a converter 16 in the form of a spirally wound metal sheet where the axis of the spiral is parallel to the axis of the cylinder ( fig5 a ), in the form of a spirally wound metal sheet having a corrugated sheet disposed between the spiral sheet ( fig5 b ), in the form of a body comprised of web plates disposed within one another ( fig5 c ), in the form of a body having , for example , steel wool disposed between two cover layers that can be embodied as perforated plates or wire meshes ( fig5 d ), or also in the form of wire mesh ( fig5 e ). it will be appreciated that numerous other embodiments for the converter would also be conceivable as long as they fulfill the described basic requirements . the converter 16 can be spaced slightly from the disk 12 and the overall arrangement , including the piston 4 , can be asymmetrical such that during the compression stroke of the piston 4 , the working medium flows through the converter 16 , for example in the form of a turbulent or eddy flow , thereby ensuring that the air that is compressed in the part of the converter 16 that is the hottest part because it is the uppermost part in fig1 does not remain there . disposing the converter 16 directly on the piston , as shown in fig3 has the advantage that the part of the converter that is uppermost and at the same time is the hottest is in the most effective heat exchange with the air that is urged into the converter 16 during the compression stroke , which has an advantageous influence upon the level of efficiency of the apparatus . a drawback of this arrangement is that the radiation must be focused extremely well , in other words must be directed in a parallel manner , so that it impinges entirely upon the converter 16 and does not heat up the cylinder wall . it will be appreciated that in this embodiment of the converter 16 , the ports 8 and 10 are advantageously not disposed in the manner illustrated in fig1 but rather open out into the upper region of the working chamber 14 and are controlled by means of valves . fig5 a to 5k illustrate various specific embodiments of the converter 16 , with the embodiments of fig5 a to 5i being used together with a disk 12 while the embodiments 5j and 5k require no disk . pursuant to fig5 a , the converter is formed by a spiral sheet metal strip 30 so that intermediate spaces 31 are formed between the individual turns and are parallel to the axis of the cylinder and are open at both sides . with the embodiment of fig5 b , a corrugated metal sheet 32 is inserted between the turns of the sheet metal strip to increase the surface area of the converter 16 . in the embodiment of fig5 c , the converter 16 is formed by metal sheets or plates 33 that are disposed at right angles to one another in the form of web sheets and which between them define channels 34 that are parallel to the axis of the cylinder and are open on both sides . in order to increase the level of efficiency , the sheets of the embodiment of fig5 d are advantageously tapered to a point toward the radiation side . in the embodiment of fig5 e , the converter is formed by an apertured or perforated plate 35 or metal sheet from which bars 36 project toward the radiation side ; the bars have different cross - sectional areas and are advantageously tapered to a point toward the radiation side . in the embodiment of fig5 f , the converter 16 is formed by a tube bundle 37 , the tubes of which are open at both ends and abut one another on their outer surfaces , thereby possibly forming further through passages . in the embodiment of fig5 g , the converter 16 is formed by a wire mesh 38 . in the embodiment of fig5 h , perforated plates or metal sheets 39 are stacked upon one another , with the holes thereof being axially aligned relative to one another but advantageously having different diameters . in the embodiment shown in fig5 i , a wire mesh 40 is accommodated between two perforated plates 39 . fig5 j and 5k show embodiments of converters 42 that operate without a disk 12 . the converter 42 of fig5 j is formed by a plate or sheet metal that is inherently stable and is folded in an accordion - like configuration to form bag - like bulges 43 that are closed on one side and are disposed in such a way that they start alternatingly from the radiation side and from the piston side . the embodiment of fig5 k provides recesses or blind passages 44 that are alternatingly open toward the radiation side and the toward the piston side , and which form an extremely large heat exchanger surface area . it will be appreciated that the crosssectional area of the blind passages 45 is advantageously less than that of the blind passages 44 , with the latter having to temporarily accommodate the working medium . it is also to be understood that the cross - sectional area of those passages that are open toward the radiation side can increase toward the radiation , and that the illustrated meander - like cross - sectional configuration can be pointed toward the radiation side . fig6 shows an overall arrangement of one exemplary embodiment of the inventive apparatus . in this embodiment , the piston 4 has a piston rod 32 that leads via a crosshead guide 64 to the connecting rod 65 , that is connected by means of a crankshaft to a generator 66 for generating electricity . the outlet conduit 26 is connected via a line 68 with a heat exchanger 70 , which in turn is connected via a further line 72 to the inlet conduit 22 . disposed in the line 68 is a throttle 74 , a scavenging blower 76 , and a connection to an intake / venting valve 78 . in the heat exchanger 70 , the exchanged thermal energy can be discharged to a consumer 80 . to control or regulate the previously described apparatus , a control means 82 is connected to the following sensors : a radiation sensor 84 for receiving incident radiation , a pressure sensor 86 for ascertaining the prevailing system pressure , a power sensor 88 for ascertaining the instantaneous generator power , and a rotational speed sensor 90 for ascertaining the generator speed . as actuators , the following elements are controlled by the control means 82 , which is controlled by a microprocessor : a power - setting means 92 of the generator 66 , the throttle 74 , the scavenging blower 76 , and the intake / venting valve 78 . as soon as the radiation sensor 84 detects a level of radiation intensity that is sufficient for generating energy , the engine is placed into operation by a non - illustrated starter . at the same time , the scavenging blower 76 starts , so that air flow through the engine is provided . by means of preliminary control values for the throttle 74 and the scavenging blower 76 , the operation of the engine is adjusted such that the engine accelerates to a reference speed of rotation of the generator 66 , which initially runs in a load - free condition . as soon as this reference speed of rotation , which is sensed by the rotational speed sensor 90 , is achieved , the load is increased and is sensed by the power sensor 88 . by adjusting the scavenging blower 76 , the throttle 74 that sets the system pressure , and the intake / venting valve 78 by means of which air is additionally supplied to , or excess air is released from , the closed system accompanied by the interposition of an air filter , the operation is now controlled in such a way that a maximum power is generated by the generator 66 , whereby at the same time predetermined limiting values with regard to final compression temperature , which could be sensed by a further temperature sensor , are maintained in the cylinder 4 . it is to be understood that in the event of an excessive through - put of air through the cylinder , the converter is cooled off too rapidly , as a consequence of which the level of efficiency drops , and that with an air through - put that is too low the converter is heated up to an unacceptably high temperature , as a consequence of which the level of efficiency is also diminished since the converter radiates off radiation to the outside . therefore , with the system pressure and the air through - put two parameters are available that enable operation at a constant speed of rotation , which is required in particular for feeding a main supply system , and the greatest possible level of efficiency . depending upon the respective requirements , the system pressure can be set to values above or below atmospheric pressure . designing the crank drive with the cross head member has the advantage that no lubrication is required within the piston 4 , so that the arrangement in the working chamber operates in a wearfree manner over long periods of time . from a thermodynamic standpoint , the described apparatus corresponds substantially to the operation of a two - stroke engine , in which respect heating of the fresh charge is effected not by combustion but rather by the increase in temperature in the converter and as a result takes somewhat longer . it is to be understood that other operating methods could also be adopted . the described arrangement can be modified in a number of ways . for example , the engine can directly drive a pump or some other mechanical device . for those times where no radiation is available , electrical energy can be stored in a battery or energy can be mechanically stored . in one practical specific embodiment of the present invention with a single cylinder having a stroke volume of about 350 cc , a converter of about 80 mm diameter and a geometrical compression of the working chamber of about 7 : 1 , wherein the converter substantially completely filled the working chamber at the upper dead center position of the piston , it was already possible to generate electrical energy at a radiation concentration by a factor of about 150 . the inventive method and apparatus are particularly suitable for decentral , possibly power - heat coupled energy supply units that , as measured against photovoltaic installations or installations operating with stirling engines , involve substantially lower capital investment cost in relation to the useful energy that is produced . the present invention is , of course , in no way restricted to the specific disclosure of the specification and drawings , but also encompasses any modifications within the scope of the appended claims .
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the term “ water insoluble biocide active ” includes , but is not limited to , the following compounds : iodopropynylbutylcarbamate ( ipbc ), benzisothiazolone ( bit ), propiconazole , n ( trichloromethylthio ) phthalimide , methyl benzimidazol - 2yl carbamate , tetrachloroisophthalonitrile , 2n - octyl - 3 - isothiazolone ( oit ), dibromonitriloproprianamide ( dbnpa ), 2 -( thiocyanomethylthio ) benzothiazole ( tcmtb ), tebuconazole , tributyl tinbenzoate , parabens , 2 , 5 - dimethyl - n - cyclohexy - n - methoxy - 3 - furan carboxamide , 5 - ethoxy - 3 trichloromethyl - 1 , 2 , 4 thiadiazole , 3 -( 2 - methylpiperidino ) propyl 3 , 4 - dichlorobenzoate , n , n ′-( 1 , 4 - piperazinediyl ) bis ( 2 , 2 , 2 - trichloro ) ethylidene ) bisformamide , tetramethylthiuram disulfide , 0 - ethyl - s , s , diphenyl - dithiophosphate , 5 - 10 - dihydro - 5 , 10 - dioxonaphtha ( 2 , 3 , 9 )- p - dithiin - 2 , 3 - dicarbonitrile , a - 2 -[( 4 - chlorophenyl ) 1 , 1 - dimethylurea , n - tridecyl - 2 , 6 - dimethylmorpholine , 4 - dodecyl - 2 ,- 6 - dimethylmorpholine , diethefencarb , diuron , zinc pyrithione , carbendazim , chlorothalonil , zineb , ziram , dimethomorph , thiabendazole , difenoconazole , and thiram . the terms “ anionic polymeric dispersant ” refers to polymers comprising at least one group derived from carboxylic acid , sulphonic acid or phosphoric acid and such as those having a weight - average molecular weight ranging approximately from 500 to 5 , 000 , 000 , determined , for example , by gel permeation chromatography . accordingly , “ anionic polymeric dispersant ” includes , but are not limited to the following compositions : the sodium salt of methyl vinyl ether / maleic acid half - ester copolymer , optionally with polyvinylpyrrolidone , ( e . g ., easy - sperse ), a lignosulfonate or metal salt thereof , ( e . g ., polyfon , ufoxane or marsperse ); a sulfonated naphthalene / formaldehyde condensate ( e . g ., morwet ®); a high molecular weight block copolymer with pigment affinic group ( e . g ., disperbyck 190 ); polyacrylates ; ammonium polycarboxylates ; sodium salt of polycarboxic acid ; 1 , 4 bis ( 2 - ethylhexyl ) sodiumsulfosuccinate ( e . g ., triton gr pg 70 ); polyether - polycarbonate sodium salt ( e . g ., ethacryl p ); maleic acid - olefin co - polymer ( e . g ., vultamol nn 4501 ); ammonium polyacrylate ( e . g ., dispex ga 40 ); c6 - c15 secondary alcohol and alkyl aryl sulfonate ( e . g ., zetasperse 2300 ) and alkyl naphthalene sulfonate ( e . g ., agnique ). the term nonionic polymeric dispersants ” include , but are not limited to , high molecular weight non - ionic eo / po block copolymers , eo / po block copolymers known as pluronics ® from basf , polymers of acrylic acid and methacrylic acid , c11 - c15 secondary ethoxylated alcohols and diols , peg - plga - peg copolymers , and polyether polyols . the term “ uv blocker ” includes , but is not limited to , the following compounds : titanium dioxide , zinc oxide , iron oxide , and polymeric particles such as polyethylene and polyamides . the term “ uv absorber ” includes , but is not limited to , avobenzone , paba , para - aminobenzoic acid , cinnoxate , dioxybenzone , homosalate , menthyl anthranilate , octocrylene , octylmethoxycinnamate , octyl salicylate , oxybenzone , padimate o , phenylbenzimidazole , sulfonic acid , sulisobenzone , and trolamine salicylate . the term “ optional co - dispersant ” includes , but is not limited to a vinyl lactam which is suitably the homopolymer of vinyl pyrrolidone or vinyl caprolactam either optionally substituted on the ring or in the vinyl group with lower alkyl ( c1 to c4 alkyl ), or a mixture of these homopolymers , e . g ., easysperse p20 ( isp ). alternatively , the co - dispersant can be a copolymer of vinyl pyrrolidone and / or vinyl caprolactam , e . g ., vinyl pyrrolidone / vinyl caprolactam copolymer , vinyl pyrrolidone / vinyl acetate , vinyl pyrrolidone / acrylic acid , vinyl pyrrolidone / acrylate , vinyl pyrrolidone and butane , or a vinyl pyrrolidone and a c14 - c24 alpha - olefin and glyceryl polyacrylate . the term “ hegman ”, as used herein , relates to astm method d1210 , also known as the standard method for fineness . this method measures the dispersion of a pigment - vehicle system using the hegman - type gage . specifically , the method covers measurements of the degree of dispersion ( commonly referred to as “ fineness of grind ”) of the pigment in a pigment - vehicle system such as a liquid coating and their intermediates . it may also be used to assess the inclusion of particulates by a cleanliness rating . this method is important in making pigmented products because any pigment agglomerates must be sufficiently broken up so as to interfere with the smoothness of the finished coating film . this test method describes a way of making this judgment . typically , a hegman reading of 6 or higher corresponds to a cleanliness rating a , and a particle size of less than 25 microns . the present invention is prepared by methods known to those skilled in the formulation arts . what is described herein is a process of preparing low viscosity substantially neutral ph , high load , water - insoluble biocidal dispersions containing biocide particles in the size range of about 100 - 500 mm . in this process , approximately 70 wt . % water is mixed with a milking or grinding aid and half the required weight of thickener to provide a composition of suitable viscosity comprising the biocide particles . to this solution is added a dispersant , a co - dispersant , additional milling aid , uv blocker , biocide carrier and biocide . the mixture is milled using a selected weight of a suitable grinding media , preferably zirconium beads ( 0 . 85 - 1 . 02 mm ) in a ball mill . when the hegman value exceeds 6 , the rest of the water and thickening agent is added and the dispersion is further milled for 30 min . the resultant particle size of the biocide particles ranges from 100 - 500 nm as determined by light scattering measurements . the dispersion was pumpable and easy to incorporate into end use products without settling . 1 . the milling technique and selected dispersant reduced the dispersion viscosity and particle size of the biocide even at a high load thereof . 2 . the viscosity obtained ranged from 100 - 4000 cp based upon the amount of thickening agent added . 3 . pluronics added as a primary dispersant and easysperse p20 as a co - dispersant and anchor for the biocide . synergistic dispersions are obtained with a mixture of the two . easysperse p20 in the partically neutralized butyl half - ester of a copolymer of poly ( methylvinylether / maleic acid ) and poly vinylpyrrolidone . 4 . the resultant product was conveniently incorporated into paints and building materials with substantially zero voc . the invention will now be described with reference to the following examples . the invention has been described in detail with particular reference to preferred embodiments thereof , but it will be understood that variations and modifications can be effected within the spirit and scope of the invention .
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the inventor provides a system for channeling air using vortex generators and techniques , and also directing the channeled air in a way to eliminate bug collision with a windshield of a bluff - body vehicle . [ 0029 ] fig3 is a front elevation view of an array of vortex generators 100 of fig1 and a bug foil apparatus mounted to a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention . a tractor of a semi tractor - trailer style truck is illustrated in this example as a bluff - bodied vehicle that would benefit from the system of the present invention . an array of vortex generators 100 is mounted to the leading - edge surface of truck 300 , along the front of the hood . a particular arrangement of the generators is provided such that the generators direct the air flow to fan out to the breadth of the windshield of truck 300 . this is accomplished by angling generators 100 in the array applied to the truck hood . in addition the laminar flow layer created is directed to enter a forward scoop provided on a bug foil apparatus 301 . the actual angle of mounting for generators 100 in the illustrated array may vary according to the application . the angle is exaggerated in this example for illustrative purpose only . a 30 to 35 degree offset from a 90 - degree axis is about right for most truck applications . as can be seen in this view , there are fourteen generators total in the array . one or more vertically aligned generators ( not shown ) can be inserted into the array at center without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and without reducing efficiency of the array in reducing drag . bug foil apparatus 301 is aerodynamically designed to receive the mostly laminar air flow layer created by the generators and to redirect the air flow in a direction substantially parallel to the windshield to cause , in effect , a fast moving and uniform layer of air functioning as a shield against bug collision . bug foil apparatus 301 in one embodiment is formed of one contiguous piece of durable polymer such as would be the case for injection molding . in another embodiment , foil 301 is molded in two or more pieces , particularly an upper foil and a lower foil that may be assembled together . bug foil apparatus 301 may be side mounted to truck 300 using conventional mounting hardware ( not shown ). in another embodiment foil 301 may be secured to the vehicle surface immediately adjacent to the rearward boundary of the hood element so as not to interfere with normal raising and lowering of the vehicles hood apparatus . in a preferred embodiment foil 301 has 2 foils spaced apart and joined together in a substantially parallel configuration ( one atop the other ) by a plurality of support fins ( not visible in this example ). the space created between the two foils acts to redirect the fast moving , mostly laminar air layer from the vehicle hood in a direction upwards and parallel with the windshield approximately in the direction of the arrows illustrated . the benefit of cooperation between generators 100 and foil 301 is that the re - directed air flow is substantially flat , laminar , and fast moving against the windshield providing an effective barrier against bugs presented in the line of the windshield while truck 300 is moving at freeway speeds . bug foil 301 stands off of the windshield of truck 300 in such a way as to clear the windshield wiper apparatus and allow it to operate unimpeded , and to avoid turbulence that would otherwise be created . a second array of vortex generators 100 is strategically located immediately above the windshield of truck 300 in substantially the same angle of placement as the first - mentioned array . this particular array is not operative in the system of foil 301 , but is provided simply for further vortex generation and drag reduction at the position at the top of the cab of the truck 300 . [ 0034 ] fig4 is a front elevation view of bug foil 301 according to an embodiment of the present invention . foil 301 comprises 2 main foils . a foil 303 is provided as a base foil and a foil 302 is provided as an upper foil in the assembly . base foil 301 is formed with an elongated lip spanning the width of foil 301 and curved generally to adapt to the curve of a windshield where the windshield abuts the vehicle dash frame . the exact amount of elongation and curve depends on the curvature of the windshield and angle of protrusion of the windshield above the vehicle as generally viewed from the side of the vehicle . base foil 303 rests directly on the vehicle surface behind the hinge location of the vehicle hood so that no air enters beneath base foil 303 in operation . the elongated portion of base foil 303 acts primarily as a scoop for capturing the fast moving air layer created by vortex generators ( 100 ) described above with reference to fig3 . foil 302 is held in an elevated and substantially parallel position from base foil 303 by a plurality of standoff fins 304 distributed strategically along the width of foil 301 . fins 304 help to channel the air much in the same way as the vortex generators . fins 304 are disposed at slight angles in between base foil 303 and upper foil 302 to help direct the airflow in a strategic fashion as to spread the flow evenly over the windshield . as seen in this view , the fins disposed left of center are angled slightly to the left and the fins disposed to the right of center are angled slightly to the right . 30 to 35 degrees divergence of 90 degrees is sufficient for the purpose . foil 301 has at least 5 windshield support feet 306 formed thereon at strategic locations on the underside of base foil 303 . support feet 306 are formed - generally in the same shape as standoff fins 304 . foil 301 is held in an elevated position above standard windshield wiper apparatus by support feet 306 . feet 306 are positioned just out of operating reach of the windshield wiper assembly in operation . in this example there are five feet 306 , two on either side of foil 301 and one situated at center , but in many embodiments there are two supports at each of the outboard ends , as many wiper patterns overlap , and a center support still can be used . in this way foil 301 is held above the wiper assembly and is held rigid so that it does not flex considerably under wind pressure . moreover , wind pressure against base foil 303 acts to urge the foil to its mating surface preventing any air from entering underneath . this configuration also acts to prevent typical airflow turbulence and significant drag from occurring against the wiper assembly on a normal vehicle in motion and protects the wiper assembly from bugs and other debris . [ 0037 ] fig5 is a section view illustrating an elevation profile of bug foil 301 of fig4 . bug foil 301 is curved for airflow redirection according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention . base foil 303 is flush against the vehicle hood at its forward position redirects air into the foil channels formed of the space between foil 303 and foil 302 set apart by support fins 304 . in one embodiment of the present invention , an adjustment mechanism ( not shown ) may be provided to properly adjust the side profile of foil 301 to the angle of protrusion of the windshield above the hood of the vehicle . such a mechanism could be incorporated in an embodiment where foils 302 and 303 are disposed on an axle that is rotatable and directly controlled by such as a turn knob disposed at either or both ends of the foil . in this case , windshield feet 306 would also be adjustable and a separable part of the assembly . in this example , bug foil 301 is rigid and is manufactured with the appropriate curve . in still another embodiment , shims may be used under feet 306 to adjust the elevation angle of foil 301 . there are many possibilities that do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention . as can be seen in this example , the tail ends at some length of both foils 303 and 302 lie in a substantially parallel plane with the angle of windshield 306 , but in a state of elevation above the windshield . [ 0039 ] fig6 is a use diagram illustrating airflow through a leading array of vortex generators of fig3 into the bug foil of fig4 producing bug - shielding effects . in this view , airflow against the body line at the start of the hood is channeled by an array of vortex generators 100 analogous to the array 100 described with reference to the example of fig3 above . in this and other applications the undersurface of the vortex generators may be curved to facilitate mounting on the vehicle body . the air becomes streamlined and turbulence is prevented along the hood line . the laminar flow has a much lower drag coefficient than turbulent flow , and creates less drag on the vehicle , therefore decreasing overall drag and improving fuel efficiency . at the back of the hood the laminar air flow is directed into the scoop formed by the base and upper foil of bug foil 301 . at this point the air flow is re - directed into the direction parallel to the surface of the windshield . in some cases the spacing is adjusted to accelerate the air flow as well . at normal freeway driving speeds the density and velocity of the laminar flow parallel to the windshield is sufficient to prevent any bugs or other lightweight debris from coming into contact with the windshield . debris and bugs are captured in the air flow and diverted upward parallel to the windshield , and do not come into contact with the windshield . in tests with no bug foil windshields are shown to be covered with smashed bugs . with the bug foil in an embodiment of the invention , at moderate highway speed , a lower portion of the windshield is bug - free up to a distinct line , and bugs decorate the windshield above that line . as speed is increased , the line is elevated until , at some speed , no bugs impinge on the windshield . adjustment of length and spacing of the foils effects the speed at which the windshield becomes bug - free . one with skill in the art of aerodynamics will recognize the significance of the uniform airflow traveling at high velocity parallel to the windshield as an effective bug deflecting mechanism . in view of the many embodiments presented herein and those possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention but not specifically described , the present invention should be afforded the broadest possible scope under examination . only the claim language that follows should limit the spirit and scope of the invention .
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this invention is a kink - resistant catheter section or a catheter . if a catheter , it is a composite device having at least one section including at least one helically wound ribbon stiffener coaxial to and adhesively attached to at least one polymeric outer section . the ribbon forms the inner lumen of the catheter section . the catheter is configured so that at least the distal portion of the catheter has a critical bend diameter of no more than 3 . 5 mm , preferably no more than 2 . 5 mm , more preferably no more than 1 . 5 mm , and most preferably no more than 1 . 0 mm . i have additionally found that the radial compression strength of the section is quite high as compared to distal sections found on comparable catheters . a typical multi - section catheter ( 100 ) which may incorporate the concepts of this invention is shown in fig1 . such a catheter is described in more detail in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 739 , 768 , to engelson , ( the entirety of which is incorporated by reference ) and is particularly suitable for neurological and peripheral vascular applications . clearly , then , it is also suitable for less demanding service such as might be encountered in access and treatment of the heart . one difficulty which has arisen as higher demands for length have been placed on these catheters is that the diameter of the distal section necessarily becomes smaller and smaller . this is so since the longer catheters must reach ever more smaller vascular areas . this smaller diameter requires a concomitant thinning of the wall section . the thinner section walls may kink or ripple when actively pushed along the guidewire or when vasoocclusive devices are pushed through the catheter &# 39 ; s lumen . the typical configuration shown in fig1 has a distal section ( 102 ) having significant flexibility , an intermediate section ( 104 ) which is typically less flexible , and a long proximal section ( 106 ) which in turn is least flexible . the distal section ( 102 ) is flexible and soft to allow deep penetration of the extraordinary convolutions of the neurological vasculature without trauma . various known and often necessary accessories to the catheter assembly , e . g ., one or more radiopaque bands ( 108 ) at the distal region to allow viewing of the position of the distal region under fluoroscopy and a luer assembly ( 110 ) for guidewire ( 112 ) and fluids access , are also shown in fig1 . the typical dimensions of this catheter are : obviously , these dimensions are not particularly critical to this invention and are selected as a function of the malady treated and its site within the body . however , as will be discussed below , use of the spiral wound ribbon permits the walls of the catheter to be somewhat thinner with no diminution of performance , e . g ., crush strength or flexibility , and , indeed , usually provides an improvement in performance . fig2 shows a magnified cross - section of a catheter body or section ( 200 ) showing the most basic aspects of one variation of the invention . as shown there , the catheter body or section has a helically wound ribbon ( 202 ) and an adhesive ( 204 ) on at least an outer portion of the ribbon ( 202 ). typically , the outer tubing member ( 206 ) is polymeric . preferably , the outer tubing member ( 206 ) is , produced of a polymer which is heat shrinkable onto the adhesive ( 204 ). such polymers include known materials such as polyethylene , polyvinylchloride ( pvc ), ethylvinylacetate ( eva ), polyethylene terephalate ( pet ), and their mixtures and copolymers . one very useful class of polymers are the thermoplastic elastomers , particularly polyesters . typical of this class is hytrel . similarly , the adhesive ( 204 ) is desirably a thermoplastic which may be coated onto the inner lumen of the outer tubing member ( 206 ), the outer surface of the coil ( as wound ), the ribbon itself , or may be formed in situ by the use of a mixture of polymers such as polyethylene and eva , which when heated to a proper temperature exude the eva onto the ribbon . a very highly desirable combination -- from an assembly point of view -- is the use of an thermoplastic adhesive ( 204 ) having a softening temperature between the temperature for heat shrinking the outer tubing ( 206 ) onto the adhesive ( 204 ) and the melting temperature of that outer tubing ( 206 ). i have found that an outer covering of eva having a suitable softening / heat shrinking temperature is an excellent choice for securing a strong bond to the ribbon particularly with an adhesive such as polyester or polyimide . the eva ( obviously , with or without other mixed polymers and fillers ) is typically extruded into a taking of an appropriate size and thickness and cross - linked to raise the melt temperature of the resultant tubing . the tubing is then inflated and , perhaps , stretched to give the included polymer molecular orientation . the tubing may then be heat - shrunk onto the catheter . a suitable eva would have significant adhesive properties at about 300 ° f . this is not to exclude the use of other polymers , depending on the section of the catheter in which the section is used . for instance , the tubing may be of any of a variety of polymers , variously stiff or flexible . for instance , if the section ( 200 ) is used as a proximal section , the outer tubing member ( 206 ) may be a polyimide , polyamides such as the nylons , high density polyethylene ( hdpe ), polypropylene , polyvinylchloride , various fluoropolymers ( for instance : ptfe , fep , vinylidene fluoride , mixtures , alloys , copolymers , block copolymers , etc . ), polysulfones or the like . blends , alloys , mixtures , copolymers , block copolymers , of these materials are also suitable , if desired . if a more flexible section is required , the outer tubing member ( 206 ) may be a polyurethane , low density polyethylene ( ldpe ), polyvinylchloride , thy , etc . and other polymers of suitable softness or modulus of elasticity . although it is quite difficult to accomplish , the inventive catheter design allows the use in the distal portion of the catheter , thin - walled tubing of inherently more slippery polymers , such as ptfe and fep and their mixtures , which have the benefit of being lubricious but otherwise would have been used in a somewhat greater thickness . production of a good adhesive joint between the helically wound ribbon ( 202 ) and the adhesive ( 204 ) is not an easy task . clearly , greater thickness tubing of these polymers results in the resulting catheter section being somewhat stiffer . the wall thickness of the outer tubing member ( 206 ) may be as thin as 0 . 5 mil and as thick as 10 mil , depending upon catheter usage , portion of the catheter chosen , polymer choice , and the style of catheter . typically , the wall thickness of the tubing member will be between 0 . 5 and 3 . 0 mils . this dimension is obviously only a range and each catheter variation must be carefully designed for the specific purpose to which it is placed . preferred combinations of polymers for catheter configurations will also be discussed below . it should also be noted at this point that each of the polymers discussed herein may be used in conjunction with radiopaque material such as barium sulfate , bismuth trioxide , bismuth carbonate , powdered tungsten , powdered tantalum , or the like so that the location of the various pieces of tubing may be radiographically visualized within the vessel . the spiral wound ribbon ( 202 ) shown in fig2 may also be of a variety of different materials . although metallic ribbons are preferred because of their strength - to - weight ratios , fibrous materials ( both synthetic and natural ) may also be used . preferred , because of cost , strength , and ready availability are stainless steels ( ss308 , ss304 , ss318 , etc .) and tungsten alloys . in certain applications , particularly smaller diameter catheter sections , more malleable metals and alloys , e . g ., gold , platinum , palladium , rhodium , etc . may be used . a platinum alloy with a few percent of tungsten is preferred partially because of its radiopacity . the class of alloys known as super - elastic alloys is also a desirable selection . preferred super - elastic alloys include the class of titanium / nickel materials known as nitinol -- alloys discovered by the u . s . navy ordnance laboratory . these materials are discussed at length in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 174 , 851 to buehler et al ., u . s . pat . no . 3 , 351 , 463 to rozner et al ., and u . s . pat . no . 3 , 753 , 700 to harrison et al . these alloys are not readily commercially available in the small ribbons required by the invention described here , but for very high performance catheters are excellent choices . when using a superelastic alloy , an additional step is usually necessary to preserve the helical shape of the stiffening member . i have purchased nitinol wire and rolled it into a 1 × 4 mil ribbon . the ribbon is then helically wound onto a mandrel , usually metallic , of an appropriate size . the winding is then heated to a temperature of 650 °- 750 ° f . for a few minutes , presumably annealing the ribbon . the helical coil then retains its shape . metallic ribbons ( 202 ) that are suitable for use in this invention are desirably between 0 . 5 mil and 1 . 5 mil in thickness and 2 . 5 mil and 8 . 0 mil in width . by the term &# 34 ; ribbon &# 34 ;, i intend to include elongated shapes , the cross - section of which are not square or round and may typically be rectangular , oval or semi - oval . they should have an aspect ratio of at least 0 . 5 ( thickness / width ). in any event , for superelastic alloys , particularly nitinol , the thickness and width may be somewhat finer , e . g ., down to 0 . 30 mil and 1 . 0 mil , respectively . currently available stainless steel ribbons include sizes of 1 mil × 3 mil , 2 mil × 6 mil , and 2 mil × 8 mil . suitable non - metallic ribbons include high performance materials such as those made of polyaramids ( e . g ., kevlar ) and carbon fibers . it should be observed that the preferred manner of using non - metallic ribbons in this invention is typically in combination with metallic ribbons to allow &# 34 ; tuning &# 34 ; of the stiffness of the resulting composite . finally , in fig2 may be seen an outer layer ( 208 ) of a lubricious material such as a silicone or other , perhaps hydrophilic , material such as a polyvinylpyrrolidone composition . these compositions are well known and do not form a critical portion of the invention . typical of the catheter made using this invention are those in the 3 french to 5 french range . the inner diameter of such catheters is then 20 mils to 42 mils . however , i have made micro - catheters ( discussed in more detail below ) having outside diameters of 18 mils to 34 mils . the inner diameter of those catheters was 11 mils to 20 mils . the invention is not limited to such sizes , however . fig3 shows a variation of the inventive catheter ( 210 ) in which the cross - sections of the ribbons ( 212 & amp ; 214 ) are generally oval rather than rectangular than as shown in fig2 . either cross - section is acceptable but the oval section has less of a tendency to bind with guidewires passing through the lumen . additionally , the fig3 variation shows the use of two ribbons ( 212 & amp ; 214 ) wound side - by - side so to form a single layer of ribbon inside the outer tubing cover ( 206 ). the dual ribbons may be of the same composition or of differing compositions . they may be of the same size or of differing sizes . the number of ribbons may be of any convenient configuration so long as the specific stiffness and kink - resisting criteria are met . fig4 shows another variation in which catheter sections made according to this invention are used in axial conjunction . section ( 220 ) is generally as described in fig3 and 4 above , but section ( 222 ) is more proximal and enjoys two outer covering layers ( 224 ) and ( 226 ). covering ( 224 ) is simply a proximal extension of the polymeric covering in section ( 220 ); polymeric covering ( 226 ) is placed directly on the outer surface of the helically - wound coil ( 228 ). as has been noted elsewhere , coil ( 228 ) may be the same as or different than the coil found in the more distal section ( 220 ). other methods for changing the stiffness of various sections of a catheter made using sections of the inventive catheter section are shown in fig5 , and 7 . for instance , fig5 shows a distal section ( 230 ) having a helically - wound ribbon ( 232 ), an outer polymeric covering ( 234 ), and a radiopaque band ( 236 ). in this variation , the ribbon ( 232 ) is wound in such a fashion that adjacent turns are not contiguous . this allows the distal catheter section ( 230 ) to be quite flexible and kink - resistant . the intermediate section ( 238 ) retains the same outer covering ( 234 ), but the pitch of the coil has been narrowed so that the flexibility of the midsection ( 238 ) is not as high as was the distal section ( 230 ). the most proximal section ( 240 ) has no helically - wound ribbon at all , but instead uses a variety of polymeric or other tubing materials to form the stiffest portion of the catheter assembly . in this instance , the outer layer remains as found in the most distal section ( 230 ) and the midsection ( 238 ). the inner layer in this instance is a stiffer material , such as polyimide , polypropylene , or a stainless steel tube , known as a &# 34 ; hypotube &# 34 ;. fig6 shows still another variation of forming the distal section of a catheter assembly which is flexible and yet provides a greater stiffness for other sections of the catheter assembly . for instance , in fig6 the intermediate section ( 242 ) utilizes double layers of polymeric material , e . g ., the outer tubing ( 234 ) ( discussed above ) on the outer surface and an inner tubing of similar or stiffer material ( 244 ) in contiguous relationship along the length of the section ( 242 ). the most proximal section ( 246 ) shows only a short overlap between stiff distal tube ( 248 ) ( perhaps made of the polyimide , polypropylene , nylon , or hypotube materials discussed above ) and the outer layer ( 234 ). this is a simple arrangement and may be used , for instance , where cost is at a premium . fig7 shows still a further variation in which the most distal section is a composite of polymeric layers ( 252 ) and a braid ( 254 ). the composition of the mid and proximal sections are not critical to the invention . they may be of one type or the other depending upon the requirements of the particular application . the most significant of benefits is accrued when , however , the distal section is of the type specified herein . nevertheless , a variation shown in fig8 depicts an instance in which the non - kinking criteria of this invention is applied in a mid - section . catheter ( 256 ) uses a distal section having only tubing ( 260 ) extending distally of the mid - section ( 262 ). mid - section ( 262 ) comprises both outer tubing ( 260 ) and helically - wound ribbon ( 264 ) easily held in place according to this invention . proximal section ( 266 ) is made stiffer by incorporating multiple layers of tubing , as discussed above . although the exemplified catheter assemblies in fig1 , 6 , 7 , and 8 each utilize three sections , it should be understood that this invention is not so limited . the number of sections is selected by the designer when conceptualizing a specific use for a chosen device . often , the optimum number of sections ends up being three simply because of the physiology of the human body , however , three or more may be involved in this invention . the sections additionally need not be of constant stiffness . they may also vary in stiffness -- typically as the distal end of a section is approached , the section becomes more flexible . as was noted above , i have found that use of this method of construction allows use of significantly smaller diameter catheters which still remain kink - free and yet are quite useable . for instance , fig9 shows a short cross - section of a distal end of a vascular catheter ( 270 ) in which the outer section comprises an outer cover ( 206 ) and a helically - wound ribbon ( 204 ) generally as shown in fig2 . within the lumen defined by a helically - wound coil ( 204 ) may be found yet a smaller catheter device covering ( 272 ) and a helically - wound coil ( 274 ). again , it is desireable that helically - wound coil ( 274 ) and covering ( 272 ) be adhesively attached to each other to lessen the chance of any kinking taking place . within the lumen of the inner catheter is a guidewire ( 276 ) which , just as an inner catheter ( 275 ), is slidable within outer catheter ( 270 ), is slidable within the inner catheter ( 275 ). for instance , a guidewire ( 276 ) may have an outside diameter of 5 to 7 mils in this distal region and the outer diameter of inner catheter ( 275 ) may have an outer diameter of 121 / 2 to 14 mils . as was noted above , the most distal portion of the distal section of this catheter ( and preferably other sections as well ) have a critical bend diameter of no more than 3 . 5 mm , preferably no more than 2 . 5 mm , more preferably no more than 1 . 5 mm , and most preferably no more than 1 . 0 mm . to some extent , the critical band diameter is also dependent upon the diameter of the catheter section and its components . for instance , i have made 3 french catheter section of the type shown in fig2 ( of stainless steel ribbon ) with critical bond diameters less than 2 . 5 mm . similarly , i have made catheter sections such as the inner catheter ( 275 ) shown in fig9 with an outer diameter of 0 . 018 &# 34 ; ( of platinum - tungsten alloy ribbon ) with band diameters less than 1 . 0 mm . the test we utilize for critical bend diameter determination uses a test shown schematically in fig1 a and 10b . in general , as shown in fig1 a , a catheter section ( 300 ) is placed between two plates ( desirably of plastic or glass or the like for visibility ) and often with an optional peg ( 302 ) to hold the catheter section ( 300 ) loop in place . the ends of the catheter are then pulled until a kink appears in the body of the catheter . alternatively , the ratio of the outer diameters ( major diameter : minor diameter ) as measured at apex ( 304 ) reaches a value of 1 . 5 . fig1 b shows the cross section of the catheter sector at ( 304 ) and further shows the manner in which the major diameter and the minor diameter are measured . these two methods provide comparable results although the latter method is more repeatable . many times herein , we refer to the &# 34 ; region &# 34 ; section of the catheter . where the context permits , by &# 34 ; region &# 34 ; we mean within 15 % of the point specified . for instance , &# 34 ; the distal region of the distal section &# 34 ; would refer to the most distal 15 % in length of the distal section . this invention has been described and specific examples of the invention have portrayed . the use of those specifics is not intended to limit the invention in any way . additionally , to the extent that there are variations of the invention which are within the spirit of the disclosure and yet are equivalent to the inventions found in the claims , it is our intent that this patent cover those variations as well .
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sterilized ( double - distilled ) water in sterilized translucent ( 50 % transparent ) plastic ( a copolymer of 98 % polypropylene and 2 % polyethylene ) bottles was obtained from baxter ( deerfield , ill .). the labels were removed from the bottles . the bottles were then wrapped in cellophane corresponding to the visible monochromatic spectral colors ( violet , indigo , blue , green , yellow , orange , and red ). controls included one unwrapped bottle of sterilized water . the sterilized water in plastic bottles was incubated during the months of october and november in jackson , miss . the bottles ( minimum of two bottles for each coloration were exposed to all daily hours of sunlight for 40 day and were then wrapped in aluminum foil without removing the cellophane and placed in the dark to avoid unwanted light exposure . urine was collected from patients who visited the urology clinic between the hours of 8 . 00 a . m . and 12 . 00 p . m . the first voided urine was collected and dip - test analysis of the urine was performed . lack of infection was established . none of the subjects tested were under medication . the urine sample was stored at 4 ° c . until it could be processed . the ph of the urine samples was measured again before testing . the ph of the reagent water was 7 . 0 . we tested urine samples of ph 6 . 0 to 6 . 8 to be within one ph unit difference . urine samples ( 100 μl ) taken in triplicates were mixed with 100 μl of different irradiated water samples and incubated at room temperature for seven days in a 96 - well , flat bottomed tissue culture plate with a low evaporation lid . the first three wells were incubated with the control ( polychromatic ) irradiated water , followed by three wells of violet , three of indigo , and three of blue in the 1st row of the plate . the second row was incubated with four wells each of green , yellow , orange , and red irradiated waters . thus , two rows of a 96 - well plate were used for each patient &# 39 ; s urine . to further characterize the specificity of the reaction , 2 ml of urine was mixed with an equal volume of irradiated water and incubated in a test - tube for seven days at room temperature . the contents were then transferred to cuvettes to determine the absorbency profile at different wavelengths . healthy male ( n = 10 ; median age 33 years ) and female volunteers ( n = 10 ; median age 36 years ) were chosen from laboratory and hospital personnel to act as the control group . normal reactions did not undergo serum psa evaluation . the urine test using yellow irradiated water observed no detectable color reaction for both the male and female volunteers , except for one male . this individual , who had no disease symptoms , was followed up with a serum psa test , which was determined as 3 . 3 ng / ml . this individual was excluded . serum psa was measured with the hybritech tandem - r monoclonal radioimmunoassay . this assay was done by an independent urology lab . the results of the urine test were compared with the psa test . the psa distribution was arranged in the following categories : & lt ; 0 . 1 , 0 . 1 - 0 . 2 , 0 . 214 . 0 , 4 . 1 - 10 . 0 , & gt ; 10 . 0 ( table 1 ). the average ph of the urine collected and tested was 6 . 0 - 6 . 8 . the exposed water had an average ph of 7 . 0 . we wanted to stay within 1 ph unit for the urine test so as to collect data that is not attributed to ph fluctuations . there were two males with psa 0 . 21 - 4 ng / ml whose ph value did not lie between 6 . 0 and 6 . 8 that were excluded . in fig1 there is a clear - cut difference between the control ( polychromatic irradiated ) water and the yellow - filtered irradiated water . two rows with a positive test marked subject 1 corresponding to a darkening of the pigmentation of the urine with yellow - irradiated water are shown . a negative test of the urine is shown in the lower portion of fig1 . there is some staining that occurs in other than yellow irradiated water as shown in the two plates , but the difference in staining between this and the yellow irradiated water is distinctly different . this test represents only a macroscopic test result as seen by the naked eye . the observations made in the presence of the control - irradiated water were compared with water exposed to sunlight through different colored cellophane papers ; i . e ., the polychromatically irradiated water was used as a blank for the spectrophotometer reading . fig2 is a representative distribution profile of a reaction between urine and different irradiated waters . there are two peaks and one valley in the absorbency profile . the peaks occur at 397 nm and 454 nm . the valley occurs at 418 nm . peak at 454 nm corresponds to a reaction specifically between yellow - filtered irradiated water and urine . the positive patient urine tests were then compared with their psa readings . the results of the psa readings were arbitrarily divided into five categories as follows : & lt ; 0 . 1 ; 0 . 1 - 0 . 20 ; 0 . 21 - 4 . 0 ; 4 . 0 - 10 . 0 ; and & gt ; 10 . 1 ng / ml . a positive urine test was observed in forty - five patients . the majority of positive patients ( 25 of 45 ) had a psa level of 0 . 21 - 4 . 0 ng / ml . twelve out of 45 had a psa value & lt ; 0 . 21 , and six of 45 were above the 4 . 0 - ng / ml level . there were 2 ( out of 45 ) false - positive tests indicated by a negative psa reading . in the same range of 0 . 21 - 4 . 0 ng / ml psa , there were 27 out of 52 false - negative tests . there was no reaction in urine of normal women ( n = 10 ; median age 36 yrs ), nor in urine of normal males ( n = 9 ; median age 33 yrs ) using the yellow - filtered irradiated water . the serological determination of psa is widely accepted to be the best method for screening , diagnosis , and follow - up in prostate cancer . psa is not only present in the serum but also in other body fluids such as urine and semen specimens [ 16 , 17 ]. the results reported in this investigation used irradiated water as an alternative testing system . the first step in developing a urinary testing kit for the detection of prostate abnormality in our investigation was to determine if there was any unique reaction between the urine and the irradiated waters . a unique color reaction was observed when the urine reacted with yellow - filtered irradiated water . the fluid in the wells became dramatically deeper in yellow pigmentation . it is noteworthy that the irradiated water was not colored yellow , but was irradiated by sunlight through yellow colored cellophane for 40 days . thus , the chemical change that took place is due solely to a reaction between the urine and the water irradiated at 565 - 575 nm . this change in coloration was considered to be a positive urine test . there is an inherent control in the design of this test , because all three wells gave a similar reaction . this reaction was further tested in the presence of urine from healthy females and healthy males whose results were negative . a positive urine test was observed in 45 patients ; of that , 25 patients had a total psa of 0 . 21 - 4 . 0 ng / ml . in our lab studies , we have previously observed evidence of alterations in chemical and physical properties of water and biological functions by using colored cellophane during sun exposure ( unpublished observations ). water exposed ( e ) to visible spectral emissions of sunlight was found to have an altered elemental composition , electrical conductance , osmolarity and salt - solubility . a difference in bio - modulatory effects was also observed . a gradual increase in leaching of boron from e - violet to e - red was observed . the maximal increase in electrical conductance and maximal salt solubility of sodium bicarbonate was found with e - indigo . e - blue inhibited phyto - hemagglutinin - induced immune cell proliferation and inhibited mosquito larvae hatching , while e - orange stimulated root elongation in seed germination . a point to note is that solarization has been used to decontaminate drinking water which is based on the exposure of living organisms ( bacteria and viruses ) to uv - light and possible thermal inactivation . sterile water has been exposed to sunlight irradiation for a long period of time ( 40 days ), a procedure that clearly has a different mode of action compared to disinfection . we have clearly shown that there is a chemical change in the presence of yellow - filtered irradiated water manifested by a change in the coloration of the urine with an absorbance peak at 454 nm . ( note : in the 96 - well plate is that the absorbance peak was at 454 nm , while the color was macroscopically observed , i . e ., the yellow pigmentation corresponds to the emission spectra in the yellow color range [ 565 - 575 nm ]). a visual change in the indicator system was considered optimum . the specifics of the changes in the calorimetric reaction were determined by evaluating the optical density in a spectrophotometer . it is clear that urine is carrying the causative agent for the color reaction while the irradiated water carries the antidote for this agent . a color reaction takes place because of the attraction or interaction of a component or components in the urine with the irradiated water . the mechanism of action between the yellow - filtered monochromatic irradiated water and the urine , however , is not completely understood . some trace amounts of proteins , hormones and other substances normally found in urine may potentially interact with solarized water . it is not clear whether the color reaction observed was a simple reaction between the dye constituting the pigment in the urine or some combination of secreted protein and dye . it is possible that the sex hormones , like testosterone , may interact with the pyrrolic ring structure present in the pigment . this test predominantly detects a subset of patients whose psa is in the range of 0 . 21 - 4 . 0 ng / ml . another important point to consider is the relationship of psa in urine and serum . high levels of psa in serum are suggestive of metastasis while psa in the urine may indicate either the presence or absence of disease . through this study a new innovative test that has been created is easy to use , involves different biochemical assays than antibody mediated psa tests , and uses urine instead of serum . urine is more easily obtained and disposed of and less risky to handle than blood products . for the patient , the use of urine instead of blood eliminates the necessity of an invasive procedure and its possible complications . the ingredients of the kit , i . e ., urine , yellow - solar - irradiated water , and a 96 - well plate are environmentally friendly . the innovative technology is the transfer of solar energy into the bottled water . this technology is natural , simple , and has never been employed for in vitro diagnostic testing . i present evidence here that a new urine test has been developed that is negative in women and healthy males but is positive in a subset of patients , especially in those patients with serum psa 0 . 21 - 4 . 0 ng / ml .
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in the following paragraphs , some preferred embodiments of the invention will be described by way of example and not limitation . it should be understood based on this disclosure that various other modifications can be made by those in the art based on these illustrated embodiments . fig1 is a conceptual diagram showing an image forming system in which an image forming apparatus that is a job execution apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention is used . as shown in fig1 , this image forming system comprises an mfp 1 as a job execution apparatus , and a user terminal 2 and another user terminal 2 each comprising a personal computer , etc ., and the mfp 1 and the user terminals 2 are connected via a network 3 such as a lan , etc . fig2 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the mfp 1 . the mfp 1 is a digital complex machine having various functions such as copying , printing , facsimile , scanning , e - mail transmission and etc ., and it comprises a cpu 11 , a rom 12 , a ram 13 , an operation panel 14 , a scanner unit 15 , a recording unit 16 , a printer unit 17 , a network interface ( i / f ) unit 18 , a card reader unit 19 , an authentication unit 10 , etc ., as shown in fig2 . the cpu 11 controls overall operations of the mfp 1 according to an operation program stored on the rom 12 . the rom 12 is a memory to store the operation program for the cpu 11 and other data , while the ram 13 is a memory to provide a working area for the cpu 11 to execute the operation program . the operation panel 14 has a key unit ( not shown in figure ) for various input manipulations and a display unit 14 a . the scanner unit 15 serves to read document image and convert it into image data . the recording unit 16 serves to record various data and applications , and comprises a hard disk , etc . the recording unit 16 has box area where a plurality of jobs are accumulated with originator and destination information of the respective jobs . the printer unit 17 functions as a job execution means , and prints image data of the document read by the scanner unit 15 and image data transmitted from the user terminal 2 , etc . the network i / f unit 18 functions as a communication unit to exchange data with the user terminals 2 on the network . the card reader unit 19 contactly or contactlessly reads out authentication information such as identification information and a password that are written in an id card ( not shown in figure ) owned by a user , when the user intends to log in the mfp 1 . the authentication unit 10 serves to match authentication information read out from the card by the card reader unit 19 against authentication information recorded in advance in the recording unit 16 , etc ., and determine whether or not to permit the user to execute jobs . although the authentication method using a card is adopted in this embodiment as described above , a biometric authentication method such as a method using a fingerprint , or a method using a user id and a password entered from the operation panel 14 , also can be adopted . the authentication unit 10 performs not only a personal authentication to permit a specified user to use the mfp 1 , but also an access authentication to permit a user to access box area recorded in the recording unit 10 by checking a password , etc . that is set for the box area . although the authentication unit 10 is incorporated in the mfp 1 in this embodiment , an external authentication unit such as an authentication server , also can be used for the authentication . meanwhile , the mfp 1 has “ automatic job execution mode ” that automatically starts executing a job transmitted to the user and recorded , if the authentication by the authentication unit 19 succeeds . in this embodiment , the cpu 11 serves to determine depending on an attribute of the job , whether or not to execute the job by “ automatic job execution mode ”, and control the printer unit 17 depending on the determination result . hereinafter , job attributes , that are criteria to determine whether or not to execute a job by “ automatic job execution mode ”, will be explained . usually , a print job transmitted by a user is written by a printer driver , in a printer language . thus , it can be configured that only a print job written in a printer language is printed while other jobs such as confidential , fax , and tiff - format , are not printed . in addition , it also can be configured that “ automatic job execution mode ” is applied or not applied only to a job with a specified extension such as “ pdf ”, “ doc ” or “ xls ” in addition , it also can be configured by job types . for instance , it can be configured that “ automatic job execution mode ” is applied or not applied to a job depending on a type of the job , such as a print job , a copy job , or a fax job . in addition , it also can be configured that “ automatic job execution mode ” is applied or not applied to all the jobs . otherwise , if there is a job that “ automatic job execution mode ” is not applied to , a screen to confirm whether or not to execute the job is displayed on the display unit 14 a for the user , and then the job is executed by user operation to select job execution . it can be configured that “ automatic job execution mode ” is applied or not applied to a job depending on an originator ( sender ) of the job . usually , it is configured that the mode is applied only to a job transmitted by the user himself / herself . however , it also can be configured that “ automatic job execution mode ” is applied to a job transmitted from another originator only if he / she is a trustworthy person , a group member , etc . in addition , it also can be configured that “ automatic job execution mode ” is applied or not applied to all the jobs without depending on the job originators . otherwise , if there is a job that “ automatic job execution mode ” is not applied to , it also can be configured that a screen to confirm whether or not to execute the job is displayed on the display unit 14 a for the user , and then the job is executed by user operation to select job execution . it can be configured that “ automatic job execution mode ” is applied or not applied to a job depending on time of receiving the job . a user goes and picks up his / her outputs soon after transmitting a print job as usual , or the user also can specify valid duration of “ automatic job execution mode ”. for instance , it can be configured “ automatic job execution mode ” is applied to a job just for a predetermined period of time ( such as 3 , 5 , 10 or 30 minute ) after receiving the job , while it is not applied to any job that is received after expiration . in addition , it also can be configured “ automatic job execution mode ” is applied to a job at a predetermined time . it can be configured that “ automatic job execution mode ” is applied to a job recorded in a specific box or directory of the recording unit 16 . usually , a job transmitted by a user is recorded in a box owned by the user himself / herself , and it is configured that “ automatic job execution mode ” is applied only to a job recorded in a box owned by the user himself / herself . in addition , it also can be configured that “ automatic job execution mode ” is applied only to a job recorded in a box that is created or specified by the user . for instance , it can be configured that “ automatic job execution mode ” is applied only to a job to be executed by monochrome mode . this configuration is advantageous specifically for a department where color printing is properly managed . if there is a job to be executed by full - color mode , it can be configured that the user is required to confirm how the job preferably to be executed , at a timing of authentication or others . for instance , even though the user intended to transmit a job including a monochrome document only , if it is determined by an acs , etc . that the job includes a full - color document , the user is required to confirm at a timing of authentication , how the job including a full - color document to be executed , that is , to be printed as is in full colors , converted and printed in monochrome , or deleted . it can be configured that “ automatic job execution mode ” is applied to a job only if the number of printed sheets of paper does not exceed a predetermined upper limit . if the job is not printed due to the upper limit , a screen for confirmation is displayed in the display unit 14 a of the operation panel 14 . it can be configured that “ automatic job execution mode ” is applied to a job depending on number of pages included in the job , that is , only if the job includes less pages than a predetermined number . if there is a job including more pages than the predetermined number , a screen for confirmation is displayed in the display unit 14 a of the operation panel 14 . if there is a job including more than one page , the job can be printed in double sides or in multiple pages per sheet . it can be configured that “ automatic job execution unit ” is applied to a job only if the job includes only one page , while an indication is displayed in the display unit 14 a of the operation panel 14 for the user to confirm how the job preferably to be printed , in double sides or multiple pages per sheet , if the job includes more than one page . the job attributes described above are taken just for examples , and it is not necessary to set a condition to apply “ automatic job execution mode ” about each of the job attribute , and only necessary to set a condition at least about one of the job attributes . in addition , it also can be configured that a conditions to apply “ automatic job execution mode ” is set about each of a plurality of job attributes , and “ automatic job execution mode ” is applied only to a job that fulfills the conditions set about each of them . in addition , it also can be configured that “ automatic job execution mode ” is applied to a job depending on a combination of job attributes . for instance , it is configured that “ automatic job execution mode ” is basically applied to a job originated by the user himself / herself , while “ automatic job execution mode ” is not applied to a job even though the job is originated by the user himself / herself if a condition to apply “ automatic job execution mode ” is not set about the other job attribute . if there is a job that “ automatic job execution mode ” is not applied to , a screen to confirm whether or not to execute the job can be displayed in the display unit 14 a of the operation panel 14 . the screen for confirmation can display a list of jobs that “ automatic job execution mode ” is not applied to , for the user not only to select a job to be executed from the list but also to specify how the job to be executed , before or during job execution by “ automatic job execution mode ”. in addition , if there is a job that “ automatic job execution mode ” is not applied to , it can be configured that “ automatic job execution mode ” is disabled and a warning of it is displayed . hereinafter , processes executed by the cpu 1 when “ automatic job execution mode ” is set on the mfp 1 , will be explained with reference to the flowchart in fig3 . if a print job is received , it is recorded in a specified box in the recording unit 16 , in step s 1 shown in fig3 . then , user authentication using an id card for instance is performed in step s 2 , and it is determined in step s 3 whether or not the authentication succeeded . if the authentication does not succeed ( no in step s 3 ), an authentication failure message is displayed in the display unit 14 a of the operation panel 14 , in step s 12 . then , the user is automatically logged out and the routine terminates . if the authentication succeeds ( yes in step s 3 ), it is checked in step s 4 whether or not there are print jobs , and it is determined in step s 5 whether or not there is any print job transmitted to the user among those . if there is a print job transmitted to the user ( yes in step s 5 ), then in step s 6 , a condition to apply “ automatic job execution mode ”, is confirmed by checking an attribute , for example job originator ( sender ), of the print job . then , the job is printed out in step s 7 , if it can be printed without confirmation , in other words , it is the job that “ automatic job execution mode ” is applied to , and then the routine proceeds to step s 8 . if there is no print job transmitted to the user ( no in step s 5 ), a no print job message is displayed in the display unit 14 a in step s 11 . then the user is automatically logged out and the routine terminates . in step s 8 , it is determined whether or not there is a job to be confirmed whether or not to be printed , in other words , there is a job that “ automatic job execution mode ” is not applied to ( for example a job transmitted from an other user ). if there is no job to be confirmed whether or not to be printed ( no in step s 8 ), the user is automatically logged out and the routine directly terminates . if there is a job to be confirmed whether or not to be printed ( yes in step s 8 ), then a screen to confirm whether or not to print the job is displayed in the display unit 14 a and the routine waits for user input operation , in step s 9 . subsequently , an instruction to print the job is given by user input operation in step s 10 , and the job is printed out . then , the user is logged out and the routine terminates . fig4 is a flowchart showing a subroutine to check conditions to apply “ automatic job execution mode ” in step s 6 shown in fig3 . in this example , “ automatic job execution mode ” is applied to a job only if each of the job attributes described above fulfills the condition to apply “ automatic job execution mode ”. in step s 61 of fig4 , it is determined whether or not an attribute ( 1 ) of the print job meets the condition to apply “ automatic job execution mode ”. if it meets ( yes in step s 61 ), the routine proceeds to step s 63 , and if does not meet ( no in step s 61 ), a flag is set to the job in step s 62 , and the routine proceeds to step s 63 . in step s 63 , it is determined whether or not an attribute ( 2 ) of the print job meets the condition to apply “ automatic job execution mode ”. if it meets ( yes in step s 63 ), the routine goes to check a next attribute , and if does not meet ( no in step s 63 ), a flag is set to the job in step s 64 , then the routine goes to check a next attribute . after completion of checking whether or not each of the attributes of the existing print jobs meet the set condition , the routine proceeds to step s 65 , and it is determined that “ automatic job execution mode ” is applied to print jobs without flag . subsequently , it is determined in step s 66 whether or not there is any job with flag . if there is no job with flag ( no in step s 66 ), the routine directly returns . if there is any job with flag ( yes in step s 66 ), it is determined in step s 67 that “ automatic job execution mode ” is not applied to the job , and then the routine directly returns . in sum , a control is performed on a print job transmitted to a user who is permitted by the authorization unit 10 to execute jobs , to determine whether or not to print the print job automatically after the authorization depending on attributes of the print job . therefore , “ automatic job execution mode ” is applied to a job that the user prefers to execute automatically , and the user can enjoy the benefit of using “ automatic job execution mode ”, which is simplified manipulation . meanwhile , the user can limit a job that he / she does not prefer to execute automatically . thus , this satisfies the user &# 39 ; s need and contributes to user friendliness . in the following , how to set a condition to apply “ automatic job execution mode ” via the display unit 14 a of the operation panel 14 , will be explained . a user is selected in a screen d 1 for setting , shown in fig5 . a list of the users who are candidates to be permitted to execute jobs by “ automatic job execution mode ” is displayed , and a target user is selected from those , in the screen d 1 . then , the screen is switched to a screen d 2 shown in fig6 . it is noted that the number of job attributes with set conditions , and the configuration report , is also displayed in the screen d 1 . subsequently , not only keys corresponding to the respective job attributes ( file attribute , originator , time , location , full - color / monochrome , upper limit , volume , and double - side / multi pages per sheet ), but also current conditions set for the respective keys , are displayed in the screen d 2 shown in fig6 . for instance , a setting about “ file attribute ” is that “ automatic job execution mode ” is applied to a job having any file attribute , and a setting about “ originator ” is that “ automatic job execution mode ” is applied only to a job transmitted by the user himself / herself . to add / delete a condition , the screen is switched to a screen for condition setting by pressing a corresponding key . fig7 illustrates a screen d 3 for condition setting that is displayed when the “ originator ” key is pressed in the screen d 2 shown in fig6 . in the screen d 3 , there are the items , “ only himself / herself ”, “ job registered by himself / herself + group member ”, “ himself / herself + office member ” and “ all ” as job originator ( s ) that is a condition to apply “ automatic job execution mode ”. by selecting an item from those and pressing an “ ok ” button , the condition is determined . fig8 illustrates a screen d 4 for operation setting . if there is a job not satisfying the conditions set in fig5 to fig7 ( a job that “ automatic job execution mode ” is not applied to ), operations to be performed on the job can be specified in the screen d 4 . in the screen d 4 , an item can be selected from “ display screen for confirmation ”, “ print + display screen for confirmation ” and “ display warning message and disable ‘ automatic job execution mode ’”, and the selection is determined by pressing an “ end ” button . the “ display screen for confirmation ” means to display a screen to specify an operation to be performed on a job that “ automatic job execution mode ” is not applied , before job execution by “ automatic job execution mode ”. the “ print + display screen for confirmation ” means to execute a job by “ automatic job execution mode ” and display a screen for confirmation at the same time . the “ display warning message and disable ‘ automatic job execution mode ’” means to disable “ automatic job execution mode ” and display a warming of it at the same time . fig9 illustrates one example of a screen to confirm an operation to be performed on a job that “ automatic job execution mode ” is not applied to . in a screen d 5 for confirmation , there displayed jobs that “ automatic job execution mode ” is not applied to , with a message for the user to encourage selecting a job and giving an instruction to print it , file names of the jobs , job attributes that do not satisfy the conditions to apply “ automatic job execution unit ”. by selecting a file that is a job and pressing a “ print ” button , the selected file is started to be printed . while the present invention may be embodied in many different forms , a number of illustrative embodiments are described herein with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as providing examples of the principles of the invention and such examples are not intended to limit the invention to preferred embodiments described herein and / or illustrated herein . while illustrative embodiments of the invention have been described herein , the present invention is not limited to the various preferred embodiments described herein , but includes any and all embodiments having equivalent elements , modifications , omissions , combinations ( e . g . of aspects across various embodiments ), adaptations and / or alterations as would be appreciated by those in the art based on the present disclosure . the limitations in the claims are to be interpreted broadly based on the language employed in the claims and not limited to examples described in the present specification or during the prosecution of the application , which examples are to be construed as non - exclusive . for example , in the present disclosure , the term “ preferably ” is non - exclusive and means “ preferably , but not limited to ”. in this disclosure and during the prosecution of this application , means - plus - function or step - plus - function limitations will only be employed where for a specific claim limitation all of the following conditions are present in that limitation : a ) “ means for ” or “ step for ” is expressly recited ; b ) a corresponding function is expressly recited ; and c ) structure , material or acts that support that structure are not recited . in this disclosure and during the prosecution of this application , the terminology “ present invention ” or “ invention ” may be used as a reference to one or more aspect within the present disclosure . the language present invention or invention should not be improperly interpreted as an identification of criticality , should not be improperly interpreted as applying across all aspects or embodiments ( i . e ., it should be understood that the present invention has a number of aspects and embodiments ), and should not be improperly interpreted as limiting the scope of the application or claims . in this disclosure and during the prosecution of this application , the terminology “ embodiment ” can be used to describe any aspect , feature , process or step , any combination thereof , and / or any portion thereof , etc . in some examples , various embodiments may include overlapping features . in this disclosure and during the prosecution of this case , the following abbreviated terminology may be employed : “ e . g .” which means “ for example ”, and “ nb ” which means “ note well ”.
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image capture operation of video image capture devices of the embodiments of the present invention will be now explained below , with reference to the drawings . fig1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the video image capture device of a first embodiment of the invention . in fig1 , an optical system 1 has distortion such that the center portion is enlarged and the peripheral portion is reduced . the subject image light condensed by the optical system 1 is focused at the light - receiving face of an image sensor 2 . the image sensor 2 receives the optical image and converts this into electrical signals . as the image sensor 2 , a ccd ( charge coupled device ) image sensor or a cmos ( complementary mos ) image sensor is used . an rgb filter is affixed in a bayer arrangement to the light - receiving face of the image sensor 2 . the output signals from the image sensor 2 are converted into digital signals by an a / d conversion circuit 3 and sent to a preprocessing circuit 4 . the preprocessing circuit 4 performs correction of pixel defects in the captured image signals input from the a / d conversion circuit 3 , as well as ob subtraction processing and other adjustments . the captured image signals , with corrections and adjustments performed , are sent to a memory 5 via a data bus 14 . the memory 5 temporarily stores image data and similar . the memory 5 used is sdram ( synchronous dynamic random access memory ) or similar . the data bus 14 connects the preprocessing circuit 4 , the memory 5 , an image processing circuit 6 , a distortion correction circuit 7 , a compression / expansion circuit 8 , an external recording device 9 , a display circuit 10 , and a cpu ( central processing unit ) 13 . the image processing circuit 6 takes as input from the memory 5 the captured image signals , and performs processing to generate luminance signals y and chrominance signals cb , cr from the captured image signals , eliminate noise in the image data , and similar . the distortion correction circuit 7 performs correction of distortion of the image data input from the image processing circuit 6 . the compression / expansion circuit 8 performs processing to compress image data using the jpeg ( joint photographic experts group ), mpeg ( moving picture coding experts group ), and other compression methods , and to expand image data which has been compressed using the jpeg , mpeg , and other compression methods . the external recording device 9 is configured from semiconductor memory , magnetic memory or similar , and records compressed video image data compressed by the compression / expansion circuit 8 , and reads previously recorded compressed video image data . the display circuit 10 generates synchronization signals to output image data to the monitor 11 , and sizes image data to the display size of the lcd ( liquid crystal display ) or other monitor 11 . the output signals from the display circuit 10 are sent to the monitor 11 and displayed on the monitor 11 . the instruction portion 12 is provided with operation buttons for use by the user ; the instruction portion 12 is used to issue instructions to change the angle of view of image data , change the method of display of image data , and similar . instruction signals from the instruction portion 12 are sent to the cpu 13 . the cpu 13 controls operation of the entire device . in the first embodiment of the invention , the optical system 1 having distortion is used , as explained above . fig2 a through fig2 c show the characteristics of such an optical system having distortion . when the image shown in fig2 a is captured by an optical system having distortion , optical images such as those shown in fig2 b or fig2 c result . fig2 b shows an example of an optical image captured by an optical system in which distortion is caused such that the closer to the periphery , the more compression occurs , independently in the vertical and horizontal directions . fig2 c shows an example of an optical image captured by an optical system in which barrel distortion is caused to occur such that the greater the distance from the concentric - circular center of the coaxial optical system , the greater is the compression . in this way , an optical system of this invention having large distortion is configured such that the center portion is enlarged and the peripheral portions are reduced ; optical distortion which combines these can also be realized . below , the example of the distortion of fig2 b is used in explanations . from fig3 a to fig3 d show image data in which a portion of the image data obtained by the image sensor 2 is extracted , and electronic zooming is performed . fig3 a shows image data captured by an optical system 1 having large distortion ; fig3 c shows an example of electronic zoom image data obtained from the image data of fig3 a . fig3 b shows image data captured by a normal optical system with small distortion . fig3 d shows an example of electronic zoom image data obtained from the image data of fig3 b . in this way , when obtaining electronic zoom image data with the same angle of vie , the area of the captured image data is larger when using an optical system having larger distortion . next , image capture operation for the video image capture device of the first embodiment of the invention is explained , referring to the flowchart of fig4 . the optical image obtained via the optical system 1 with large distortion in fig1 is received by the image sensor 2 and converted into electrical signals . signals output from the image sensor 2 are maximum - angle captured image signals , which are signals for the largest optical image that can be captured by the image sensor 2 , uncorrected for distortion . in fig4 , the maximum - angle captured image signals from the image sensor 2 , uncorrected for distortion , and converted into digital signals by the a / d conversion circuit 3 , and after performing pixel defect correction , ob subtraction processing and other adjustments by the preprocessing circuit 4 , the results are output to the memory 5 . in this way , maximum - angle captured image signals uncorrected for distortion are stored in the memory 5 ( step s 1 ). these maximum - angle captured image signals uncorrected for distortion are output from the memory 5 to the image processing circuit 6 , and in the image processing circuit 6 are converted into luminance signals y and chrominance signals cb , cr , and gamma correction and other image processing is performed ( step s 2 ). the maximum - angle image data , uncorrected for distortion but with image processing performed by the image processing circuit 6 , is then input to the distortion correction circuit 7 , and in the distortion correction circuit 7 , distortion in the maximum - angle image data is corrected ( step s 3 ). maximum - angle image data with distortion corrected by the distortion correction circuit 7 is then output to and stored in the memory 5 ( step s 4 ). when performing a zoom operation , the user presses an operation button on the instruction portion 12 ( step s 5 ). when the operation button on the instruction portion 12 is operated , an arbitrary angle of view set by the user using the operation button of the instruction portion 12 is sent to the cpu 13 , and an image read command is sent from the cpu 13 to memory 5 . by this means , a portion of the maximum - angle captured image signals , uncorrected for distortion and stored in the memory 5 , is extracted according to the angle of view thus set ( step s 6 ). the extracted partial captured image signals are hereafter called “ telescopic captured image signals ”. telescopic captured image signals not corrected for distortion are output from the memory 5 to the image processing circuit 6 , and in the image processing circuit 6 , image processing is performed for noise elimination , conversion into luminance signals y and chrominance signals cb , cr , gamma correction , and similar ( step s 7 ). telescopic image data subjected to image processing by the image processing circuit 6 but not corrected for distortion is then input to the distortion correction circuit 7 , and in the distortion correction circuit 7 , the distortion in the telescopic image data is corrected ( step s 8 ). correspondence information , indicating the maximum - angle image data with distortion correction with which the data is paired , is appended to the telescopic image data with distortion corrected by the distortion correction circuit 7 , and the data is output to and stored in the memory 5 ( step s 9 ). when the user performs a zoom operation ( step s 5 ), maximum - angle image data corrected for distortion , and telescopic image data corrected for distortion , are stored in the memory 5 ( see step s 4 and step s 9 ). next , the maximum - angle image data with distortion corrected , stored in the memory 5 , is output to the compression / expansion circuit 8 , and in the compression / expansion circuit 8 , the maximum - angle image data with distortion corrected is compressed to the jpeg format ( step s 10 ). the compressed maximum - angle image data with distortion corrected is output to and stored in the memory 5 ( step s 11 ). when in step s 5 no zoom operation is performed ( step s 12 ), the compressed maximum - angle image data with distortion corrected stored in the memory 5 is output to and stored in the external recording device 9 ( step s 13 ), and processing proceeds to step s 17 . on the other hand , when the user performs a zoom operation ( step s 12 ), telescopic image data with distortion corrected which is stored in the memory 5 is output to the compression / expansion circuit 8 , and in the compression / expansion circuit 8 the telescopic image data with distortion corrected is compressed to jpeg format ( step s 14 ). the compressed telescopic image data with distortion corrected is output to and stored in the memory 5 ( step s 15 ). compressed maximum - angle image data with distortion corrected and compressed telescopic image data with distortion corrected , stored in the memory 5 , are output to and stored in the external recording device 9 ( step s 16 ). in this way , when the user performs a zoom operation , the external recording device 9 records , as a pair , the compressed maximum - angle image data with distortion corrected and compressed telescopic image data with distortion corrected ( step s 16 ). the above processing from s 1 to s 16 is performed in single frame units , and by performing this processing continuously for a plurality of frames , a video captured image operation results . when processing of one frame ends , processing proceeds to the next frame ( step s 17 ), returning to step s 1 to perform processing of the next frame . next , a method of display of image data and the time of image capture by the video image capture device of the first embodiment of the invention will be explained . in the first embodiment of the invention , the user can use an operation button of the instruction portion 12 to set the device to wide - angle display , telescopic display , and two - screen display . fig5 is a flowchart showing display processing in the first embodiment of the invention . in fig5 , a judgment is made as to whether the setting is wide - angle display , telescopic display , or two - screen display ( step s 21 ). if in step s 21 wide - angle display is selected , the maximum - angle image data corrected for distortion stored in the memory 5 is output to the display circuit 10 ( step s 22 ). the display circuit 10 sizes the maximum - angle image data according to the angle of view of the monitor 11 while outputting the data , one frame at a time , to the monitor 11 . by this means , the maximum - angle - of - view images 21 are displayed on the monitor 11 , as shown in fig7 a ( step s 23 ). when in step s 21 the telescopic display is selected , the telescopic image data corrected for distortion stored in the memory 5 is output to the display circuit 10 ( step s 24 ). the display circuit 10 sizes the image data according to the angle of view of the monitor 11 while outputting the data to the monitor 11 one frame at a time . by this means , telescopic images 22 are displayed on the monitor 11 , as shown in fig7 b ( step s 25 ). when in step s 21 two - screen display is selected , the maximum - angle - of - view image data corrected for distortion and the telescopic image data corrected for distortion , stored in the memory 5 , are output to the display circuit 10 ( step s 26 ). by this means , the maximum - angle - of - view image 21 and telescopic image 22 are displayed in juxtaposition , as shown in fig7 c ( step s 27 ). here , a judgment is made as to whether the display settings have been changed ( step s 28 ). if the display settings have been changed , processing returns to step s 21 . in step s 21 , a judgment is then made as to whether the setting has been switched to wide - angle display , to telescopic display , or to two - screen display . in the case of switching to wide - angle display , the processing of steps s 22 and s 23 is performed , and the maximum - angle - of - view image is displayed . in the case of switching to telescopic display , the processing of steps s 24 and s 25 is performed , and the telescopic image is displayed . in the case of switching to two - screen display , the processing of steps s 26 and s 27 are performed , and the maximum - angle - of - view image and telescopic image are displayed in juxtaposition . a judgment is made as to whether one frame &# 39 ; s worth of processing has ended ( step s 29 ), and if one frame &# 39 ; s worth of processing has ended , processing of the next frame is begun ( step s 30 ), processing returns to step s 21 , and processing of the next frame is performed . in the first embodiment of the invention , during wide - angle display , a zoom frame may also be displayed . fig6 is a flowchart showing processing when a zoom frame is displayed . in fig6 , a judgment is made as to whether wide - angle display is being performed ( step s 31 ), and if the display is currently wide - angle display , a judgment is made as to whether the user has selected frame display using an operation button of the instruction portion 12 ( step s 32 ). if zoom frame display is selected , then a zoom frame display signal is formed according to the screen extracted from memory 5 ( step s 33 ). maximum - angle image data corrected for distortion and stored in memory 5 , and frame display signals corresponding to the angle of view which has been set , are sent to the display circuit 10 ( step s 34 ). by this means , the maximum - angle - of - view image 21 is displayed on the monitor 11 , and a zoom frame 23 showing the telescopic angle of view is displayed , as shown in fig7 d ( step s 35 ). a judgment is made as to whether one frame &# 39 ; s worth of processing has ended ( step s 36 ), and if one frame &# 39 ; s worth of processing has ended , processing proceeds to the next frame ( step s 37 ), returning to step s 31 , and processing of the next frame is performed . next , processing to reproduce compressed video image data in the video image capture device of the first embodiment of the invention will be explained . fig8 is a flowchart showing reproduction processing . as explained above , when the user performs a zoom operation ( step s 5 ), compressed maximum - angle image data corrected for distortion and compressed telescopic image data corrected for distortion are recorded , as a pair , at the time of recording in the external recording device 9 ( see step s 16 ). in fig8 , at the time of reproduction , the compressed maximum - angle image data corrected for distortion and the compressed telescopic image data corrected for distortion are read from the external recording device 9 and stored in the memory 5 ( step s 41 ). the compressed maximum - angle image data stored in the memory 5 is output to the compression / expansion circuit 8 , and in the compression / expansion circuit 8 is expanded using the jpeg format . the expanded maximum - angle image data is stored in the memory 5 ( step s 42 ). on the other hand , compressed telescopic image data stored in the memory 5 is output to the compression / expansion circuit 8 , and in the compression / expansion circuit 8 is expanded using the jpet format . the expanded telescopic image data is output to and stored in the memory 5 ( step s 43 ). in the first embodiment of the invention , wide - angle display , telescopic display , or two - screen display can be selected at the time of reproduction . the user performs display selection using an operation button of the instruction portion 12 . a judgment is made as to whether the display at the time of reproduction is a wide - angle display , a telescopic display , or a two - screen display ( step s 44 ). in step s 44 , if the wide - angle display is selected , then maximum - angle image data corrected for distortion which has been stored in the memory 5 is output to the display circuit 10 ( step s 45 ). the display circuit 10 resizes the maximum - angle image data according to the angle of view of the monitor 11 while outputting the data to the monitor 11 one frame at a time . by this means , the maximum - angle - of - view image 21 is displayed on the monitor 11 , as shown in fig7 a ( step s 46 ). when in step s 44 the telescopic display has been selected , the telescopic image data corrected for distortion which is stored in the memory 5 is output to the display circuit 10 ( step s 47 ). the display circuit 10 resizes the image data according to the angle of view of the monitor 11 while outputting the data to the monitor 11 one frame at a time . by this means , the telescopic image 22 is displayed on the monitor 11 as shown in fig7 b ( step s 48 ). when in step s 44 two - screen display is selected , the maximum - angle image data corrected for distortion and the telescopic image data corrected for distortion which are stored in the memory 5 are output to the display circuit 10 ( step s 49 ). by this means , the maximum - angle - of - view image 21 and telescopic image 22 are displayed in juxtaposition , as shown in fig7 c ( step s 50 ). here , a judgment is made as to whether the display settings have been switched ( step s 51 ). if the display settings have been switched , processing returns to step s 44 , and a judgment is made as to whether settings have been switched to wide - angle display , to telescopic display , or to two - screen display . if switching is to wide - angle display , the processing of steps s 45 and s 46 is performed , and the maximum - angle - of - view image is displayed . if switching is to telescopic display , the processing of steps s 47 and s 48 is performed , and the telescopic image is displayed . if switching is to two - screen display , then the processing of steps s 49 and s 50 is performed , and the maximum - angle - of - view image and telescopic image are displayed in juxtaposition . video reproduction operation entails processing of a plurality of frames continuously . a judgment is made as to whether one frame &# 39 ; s worth of processing has ended ( step s 52 ), and if one frame &# 39 ; s worth of processing has ended , processing proceeds to the next frame ( step s 53 ), returning to step s 41 to process the next frame . thus by means of the first embodiment of the invention , maximum - angle - of - view image data and telescopic image data for a single subject can be acquired simultaneously . hence when selecting the display method at the time of image capture , or when recording maximum - angle - of - view image data and telescopic image data in an external recording device and then reproducing recorded image data , it is possible to switch between displays of maximum - angle - of - view image data and telescopic image data for an arbitrary frame . a second embodiment of the invention will be explained , referring to the drawings . the second embodiment differs from the first embodiment with respect to the maximum - angle image data recorded to the external recording device 9 . that is , in the first embodiment , compressed maximum - angle image data corrected for distortion and compressed telescopic image data corrected for distortion were recorded to the external recording device 9 at the time of recording . in contrast , in this second embodiment , compressed maximum - angle image data not corrected for distortion and compressed telescopic image data corrected for distortion are recorded to the external recording device 9 . the configuration of the video image capture device in the second embodiment of the invention is similar to that of the first embodiment , and an explanation is omitted . fig9 is a flowchart showing recording processing in the second embodiment of the invention . in fig9 , an optical image obtained via the optical system i having substantial distortion is received by the image sensor 2 and converted into electrical signals . the output signals from this image sensor 2 are maximum - angle captured image signals not corrected for distortion , which represent the maximum optical image which can be received by the image sensor 2 . maximum - angle captured image signals not corrected for distortion which are output from the image sensor 2 are converted to digital signals by the a / d conversion circuit 3 . next , these digital signals are subjected to pixel defect correction , ob subtraction processing and other adjustment by the preprocessing circuit 4 , and are then output to memory 5 . in this way , maximum - angle captured image signals not corrected for distortion are stored in the memory 5 ( step s 61 ). the maximum - angle captured image signals not corrected for distortion are output from the memory 5 to the image processing circuit 6 , and noise elimination , conversion into luminance signals y and chrominance signals cb , cr , gamma correction , and other image processing is performed ( step s 62 ). maximum - angle image data not corrected for distortion but subjected to image processing by the image processing circuit 6 is output to and stored in the memory 5 ( step s 63 ). maximum - angle image data not corrected for distortion but subjected to image processing by the image processing circuit 6 is input to the distortion correction circuit 7 , and the distortion in the maximum - angle image data is corrected ( step s 64 ). this maximum - angle image data corrected by the distortion correction circuit 7 is stored in the memory 5 for display ( step s 65 ). when performing a zoom operation , the user operates an operation button of the instruction portion 12 ( step s 66 ). when the operation button of the instruction portion 12 is operated , the cpu 13 is notified of an arbitrary angle of view set by the user using the operation button of the instruction portion 12 , and an image read command is sent from the cpu 13 to memory 5 . by this means , a portion of the maximum - angle captured image signals not corrected for distortion , stored in memory 5 , is extracted according to the angle of view thus set ( step s 67 ). this extracted portion of the captured image signals is called the telescopic captured image signals . these telescopic captured image signals not corrected for distortion are output from the memory 5 to the image processing circuit 6 , and noise elimination , conversion into luminance signals y and chrominance signals cb , cr , gamma correction , and other image processing is performed ( step s 68 ). the telescopic image data not corrected for distortion but with image processing performed by the image processing circuit 6 is input to the distortion correction circuit 7 , and the distortion in the telescopic image data is corrected ( step s 69 ). to the telescopic image data corrected by the distortion correction circuit 7 is appended correspondence information indicating the maximum - angle image data not corrected for distortion with which the data is paired , and the data is output to and stored in the memory 5 ( step s 70 ). next , maximum - angle image data not corrected for distortion and saved in the memory 5 is output to the compression / expansion circuit 8 , and the maximum - angle image data is compressed using the jpeg format ( step s 71 ). the compressed maximum - angle image data not corrected for distortion is output to and stored in the memory 5 ( step s 72 ). when a zoom operation is not performed in step s 66 ( step s 73 ), the compressed maximum - angle image data not corrected for distortion stored in the memory 5 is output to the external recording device 9 and recorded ( step s 74 ), and processing proceeds to step s 78 . if on the other hand there is a zoom operation in step s 66 ( step s 73 ), the telescopic image data corrected for distortion and stored in the memory 5 is output to the compression / expansion circuit 8 and is compressed using the jpeg format ( step s 75 ). the compressed telescopic image data corrected for distortion is output to and stored in the memory 5 ( step s 76 ). the compressed maximum - angle image data not corrected for distortion and compressed telescopic image data corrected for distortion , stored in the memory 5 , are output to and recorded in the external recording device 9 ( step s 77 ). in this way , when the user has performed a zoom operation , compressed maximum - angle image data not corrected for distortion and compressed telescopic image data corrected for distortion are stored , as a pair , in the external storage device 9 ( step s 77 ). the above processing from s 61 to s 77 is performed in single frame units , and by performing this processing continuously for a plurality of frames , video captured image operation results . when one frame &# 39 ; s worth of processing ends , processing proceeds to the next frame ( step s 78 ), returning to step s 61 to perform processing of the next frame . next , display processing in the second embodiment of the invention is explained . in the second embodiment of the invention , the user can use an operation button of the instruction portion 12 to set wide - angle display , telescopic display , or two - screen display . fig1 is a flowchart showing display processing in the second embodiment of the invention . in fig1 , a judgment is made as to whether the setting is for wide - angle display , telescopic display , or two - screen display ( step s 81 ). if in step s 81 wide - angle display is selected , the maximum - angle image data corrected for distortion stored in the memory 5 is output to the display circuit 10 ( step s 82 ). the display circuit 10 resizes the maximum - angle image data according to the angle of view of the monitor 11 while outputting the data to the monitor 11 , one frame at a time . by this means , maximum - angle - of - view images 21 are displayed on the monitor 11 , as shown in fig7 a ( step s 83 ). when in step s 81 the telescopic display is selected , the telescopic image data corrected for distortion stored in the memory 5 is output to the display circuit 10 ( step s 84 ). the display circuit 10 resizes the image data according to the angle of view of the monitor 11 while outputting the data to the monitor 11 one frame at a time . by this means , telescopic images 22 are displayed on the monitor 11 , as shown in fig7 b ( step s 85 ). when in step s 81 the two - screen display is selected , the maximum - angle image data corrected for distortion and telescopic image data corrected for distortion , stored in the memory 5 , are output to the display circuit 10 ( step s 86 ). by this means , the maximum - angle - of - view image 21 and telescopic image 22 are displayed in juxtaposition , as shown in fig7 c ( step s 87 ). here , a judgment is made as to whether there has been switching of the display settings ( step s 88 ). if the display settings have been switched , processing returns to step s 81 . in step s 81 , a judgment is made as to whether switching has been to the wide - angle display , telescopic display , or two - screen display . in the case of switching to wide - angle display , the processing indicated in steps s 82 and s 83 is performed , and the maximum - angle - of - view image is displayed . in the case of switching to telescopic display , the processing indicated in steps s 84 and s 85 is performed , and the telescopic image is displayed . in the case of switching to two - screen display , the processing indicated in steps s 86 and s 87 is performed , and the maximum - angle - of - view image and telescopic image are displayed in juxtaposition . a judgment is made as to whether one frame &# 39 ; s worth of processing has ended ( step s 89 ), and if one frame &# 39 ; s worth of processing has ended , processing proceeds to the next frame ( step s 90 ), returning to step s 81 , and processing of the next frame is performed . in the second embodiment of the invention , during wide - angle display , a zoom frame may also be displayed . fig1 is a flowchart showing processing when the zoom frame is displayed . in fig1 , a judgment is made as to whether the display is the wide - angle display ( step s 91 ), and if the wide - angle display is set , a judgment is made as to whether the user has selected frame display using an operation button of the instruction portion 12 ( step s 92 ). if zoom frame display has been selected , zoom frame display signals are formed according to a screen extracted from memory ( step s 93 ). maximum - angle image data corrected for distortion and stored in the memory 5 , and frame display signals corresponding to the preset angle of view , are sent to the display circuit 10 ( step s 94 ). by this means , the maximum - angle - of - view image 21 is displayed on the monitor 11 as shown in fig7 d , and the zoom frame 23 for the telescopic angle of view is displayed ( step s 95 ). a judgment is made as to whether one frame &# 39 ; s worth of processing has ended ( step s 96 ), and if one frame &# 39 ; s worth of processing has ended , processing proceeds to the next frame ( step s 97 ), returning to step s 91 , and the next frame is processed . next , processing to reproduce compressed video image data in the video image capture device of the second embodiment of the invention is explained . fig1 shows reproduction processing in the second embodiment of the invention . as explained above , when the user performs a zoom operation ( step s 66 ), compressed maximum - angle image data not corrected for distortion and compressed telescopic image data corrected for distortion are recorded in the external recording device 9 at the time of recording ( see step s 77 ). in fig1 , at the time of reproduction , the compressed maximum - angle image data not corrected for distortion and compressed telescopic data corrected for distortion are read from the external recording device 9 based on correspondence information , and are stored in the memory 5 ( step s 101 ). compressed maximum - angle image data not corrected for distortion and stored in the memory 5 is output to the compression / expansion circuit 8 , and is expanded using the jpeg format . the expanded maximum - angle image data is stored in the memory 5 ( step s 102 ). this expanded maximum - angle image data is output from the memory 5 to the distortion correction circuit 7 , and processing to correct distortion is performed ( step s 103 ). the maximum - angle image data corrected for distortion is then stored in the memory 5 ( step s 104 ). on the other hand , the compressed telescopic image data stored in the memory 5 is output to the compression / expansion circuit 8 , and is expanded using the jpeg format . the expanded telescopic image data is stored in the memory 5 ( step s 105 ). in the second embodiment of the invention , wide - angle display , telescopic display , and two - screen display can be selected at the time of reproduction . the user performs display selection using an operation button of the instruction portion 12 . a judgment is made at the time of reproduction as to whether the display is wide - angle display , telescopic display , or two - screen display ( step s 106 ). if in step s 106 wide - angle display is selected , the maximum - angle image display corrected for distortion and stored in the memory 5 is output to the display circuit 10 ( step s 107 ). the display circuit 10 resizes the maximum - angle image data according to the angle of view of the monitor 11 while outputting the data to the monitor 11 one frame at a time . by this means , a maximum - angle - of - view image 21 is displayed on the monitor 11 , as shown in fig7 a ( step s 108 ). if in step s 106 , the telescopic display is selected , the telescopic image data corrected for distortion and stored in the memory 5 is output to the display circuit 10 ( step s 109 ). the display circuit 10 resizes the image data according to the angle of view of the monitor 11 while outputting the data to the monitor 11 one frame at a time . by this means , a telescopic image 22 is displayed on the monitor 11 , as shown in fig7 b ( step s 110 ). if in step s 106 , the two - screen display is selected , the maximum - angle image data corrected for distortion and the telescopic image data corrected for distortion , stored in the memory 5 , are output to the display circuit 10 ( step s 111 ). by this means , a maximum - angle - of - view image 21 and telescopic image 22 are displayed in juxtaposition , as shown in fig7 c ( step s 112 ). here , a judgment is made as to whether the display settings have been switched ( step s 113 ). if the display settings have been switched , processing returns to step s 106 . in step s 106 , a judgment is made as to whether settings have been switched to wide - angle display , to telescopic display , or to two - screen display . if the settings have been switched to wide - angle display , the processing indicated in steps s 107 and s 108 is performed , and the maximum - angle - of - view image is displayed . if the switching is to telescopic display , the processing indicated in steps s 109 and s 10 is performed , and the telescopic image is displayed . if the switching is to two - screen display , the processing indicated in steps s 111 and s 112 is performed , and the maximum - angle - of - view image and telescopic image are displayed in juxtaposition . next , a judgment is made as to whether one frame &# 39 ; s worth of processing has ended ( step s 114 ), and if one frame &# 39 ; s worth of processing has ended , processing proceeds to the next frame ( step s 115 ), returning to step s 101 to process the next frame . the above processing from s 101 to s 114 is performed in single frame units , and this processing is performed continuously for a plurality of frames . in the second embodiment of the invention , it is possible to modify the zoom position during wide - angle display at the time of reproduction . fig1 shows processing when modifying the zoom position . fig1 is a flowchart showing processing when modifying the zoom position . in fig1 , a judgment is made as to whether the current display is wide - angle display ( step s 121 ), and if the current display is wide - angle display , a judgment is made as to whether the user has modified the zoom position using an operation button of the instruction portion 12 ( step s 122 ). if the zoom position has been modified , a screen is extracted from the maximum - angle - of - view data not corrected for distortion , stored in the memory 5 , based on the angle of view of the modified zoom position ( step s 123 ). the extracted image is sent to the distortion correction circuit 7 , distortion is corrected , and the image is stored in the memory 5 ( step s 124 ). this telescopic image data corrected for distortion , extracted from the maximum - angle - of - view data , is sent to the display circuit 10 ( step s 125 ). by this means , an image 25 with the zoom position modified is displayed on the monitor 11 , as shown in fig1 ( step s 126 ). a judgment is made as to whether one frame &# 39 ; s worth of processing has ended ( step s 127 ), and if one frame &# 39 ; s worth of processing has ended , processing proceeds to the next frame ( step s 128 ), returning to step s 121 to process the next frame . by means of the above second embodiment of the invention , advantageous results equivalent to those of the first embodiment can be obtained . further , maximum - angle image data not corrected for distortion is recorded , so that electronic zoom image data with minimal image quality degradation can be reproduced and displayed . as explained above , by means of a video image capture device of this invention , image data with a first angle of view , that is , wide - angle image data , and image data with a second angle of view , that is , telescopic image data , are recorded in succession as pairs , so that wide - angle and telescopic video image reproduction can be performed rapidly and selectively . further , by means of a video image capture device of an embodiment of this invention , image data with a first angle of view after distortion correction , that is , wide - angle image data , and image data with a second angle of view , that is , telescopic image data , are recorded in succession as pairs , so that wide - angle and telescopic video image reproduction can be performed rapidly and selectively using a general - purpose device . further , by means of a video image capture device of an embodiment of this invention , at the time of image capture , second corrected image data , that is , telescopic image data , can be displayed on an lcd or other monitor , and image capture can be performed while confirming the angle of view of telescopic image data set by the user . further , by means of a video image capture device of an embodiment of this invention , at the time of image capture , first corrected image data , that is , wide - angle image data , can be displayed on an lcd or other monitor , and image capture can be performed while confirming on the monitor the wide - angle image data . further , by means of a video image capture device of an embodiment of this invention , by displaying the frame of the second angle of view above the first corrected image data , image capture is possible while simultaneously confirming on the monitor the second angle of view and the peripheral portions thereof . further , by means of a video image capture device of an embodiment of this invention , at the time of image capture , image capture of the second corrected image data , that is , telescopic image data , can be performed while confirming on the monitor the first corrected image data , that is , the wide - angle image data . further , by means of a video image capture device of an embodiment of this invention , at the time of reproduction , second corrected image data read in succession , that is , telescopic image data is displayed on the monitor , and by switching at an arbitrary time to first corrected image data , that is to wide - angle image data , wide - angle and telescopic video image data can easily be selectively confirmed . further , by means of a video image capture device of an embodiment of this invention , at the time of reproduction , first corrected image data read in succession , that is , wide - angle image data is displayed on the monitor , and by switching at an arbitrary time to second corrected image data , that is to telescopic image data , wide - angle and telescopic video image data can easily be selectively confirmed . further , by means of a video image capture device of an embodiment of this invention , at the time of reproduction , first corrected image data , that is , wide - angle image data , and second corrected image data , that is , telescopic image data , read in succession from a recording device , are reproduced in juxtaposition on a monitor , so that comparisons can easily be made . further , by means of a video image capture device of an embodiment of this invention , by recording as pairs original image data with a first angle of view and second corrected image data , the original image data can be used to correct distortion using another video reproduction device capable of distortion correction , and the angle of view of images can be modified ; in addition , in an existing video reproduction device , reproduction of the second corrected image data , that is , of corrected telescopic video image data , is possible . further , by means of a video image capture device of an embodiment of this invention , a third angle of view is set for original image data read from a recording device , and distortion in the original image data corresponding to this third angle of view is corrected and the data output and displayed on a monitor , so that image data corrected for distortion can easily be confirmed for an arbitrary angle of view . this invention is not limited to the above - described embodiments , and various appropriate modifications can be made without deviating from the scope of the invention . this invention is suitable for use in displaying telescopic images in a digital camera employing an optical system having distortion .
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the spark plug 10 is , at the outside , of any suitable and standard construction , and has a tubular metal housing 11 which has an outer thread 12 . the metal housing is extended upwardly -- with respect to fig1 -- and forms a hexagonal surface for attachment to a spark plug socket wrench . the metal housing 11 is extended at the ignition or combustion chamber end to a bent - over portion 13 which forms a ground or chassis electrode . the end 13 is bent over towards the center line or longitudinal axis of the spark plug . the metal housing 11 is formed with a tubular opening 14 which has an internal shoulder 15 . an insulator 18 , of rotation - symmetrical form , is seated on the shoulder 15 , with interposition of a sealing ring 16 , which engages an enlarged portion 17 of the insulator body 18 . the ground or chassis electrode 13 may be formed in accordance with any suitable and standard construction , and more than one center electrode or a ring of electrodes 13 may be provided . the insulator 18 is fitted in the opening 14 in accordance with any suitable and well known construction , for example by rolling - over a portion of the metal housing 11 at the connection of terminal end ( not shown ), by shrink - fitting , or the like . the insulator may be fitted into the metal housing also by a cement , or otherwise . the combustion chamber end of the insulator body extends towards the chassis electrode 13 ; the cross - sectional area of the insulator decreases , that is , the insulator tapers downwardly towards the chassis electrode 13 . the head of the insulator 18 at the terminal end portion -- not shown in fig1 -- extends from the metal housing 11 and surrounds a connection bolt or post 21 , which is formed with an ignition cable terminal . the insulator 18 has a longitudinal opening or bore 19 , extending axially , which has an enlarged portion 19 / 1 extending towards the terminal end of the spark plug . the enlarged portion 19 / 1 tapers in a tapering central portion 19 / 2 to a narrower or thinner end portion 19 / 3 adjacent the combustion chamber end of the spark plug . the insulator 18 has a cup - shaped or dome - shaped bottom 20 , integral therewith . the thickness of the bottom dome 20 is only about 0 . 4 mm . the portion of the insulator 18 adjacent the dome - shaped bottom also is only about 0 . 4 mm thick - measured in cross section , for an axial length of about 6 mm . the dimensions are not critical and , depending on application , the end portion of the insulator 18 in the region of the bottom 20 and extending upwardly therefrom , may have a thickness of between , for example , about 0 . 2 mm to 0 . 9 mm , preferably in the range of from 0 . 3 mm to 0 . 6 mm . the axial extent of the region of this thickness of the insulator 18 , depending on application , may be between about 2 . 5 mm to 12 mm , preferably , however , between 5 mm to 9 mm . the transition from this thin - walled region of the insulator 18 towards the enlarged portion 17 should be matched to the length and the wall thickness , and increase gradually -- as well known in connection with spark plug construction . the insulator 18 preferably essentially is made of aluminum oxide . the aluminum oxide of the insulator body has , preferably , but not necessarily , a higher percentage of flux added thereto than used with customary and standard spark plugs . a suitable addition is about 10 %-- by weight -- of flux , the flux being , for example , magnesium silicate or calcium silicate . the relatively high proportion of flux -- with respect to customary insulating bodies , which contain only about 5 %, by weight , of flux -- has the effect that the heat conductivity of the insulator 18 at temperatures below 600 ° c . is less than in known insulators ; the heat conductivity of the insulator 18 , at temperatures above about from 600 ° c . to 700 ° c . is , essentially , comparable to that of customary material of lesser flux content . the lower softening point of the insulator , due to the higher content of flux , does not interfere with the operation of the spark plug 10 , since the operating temperatures of the spark plug 10 are far below the softening temperature of such ceramics . the proportion of flux in the insulator 18 may vary between about 3 % to 20 % by weight ; the insulator for use in the spark plug of the present invention , preferably , has a flux content of between 8 % and 15 %, by weight . a metallic connecting bolt 21 extends through the insulator 18 in the longitudinal opening 19 thereof , up to and including the connecting region 19 / 1 of the central opening . the connecting bolt 21 , at the terminal end of the spark plug ( not shown ) is formed in accordance with standard construction , for example by having a thread or a connecting tip formed thereon . at the combustion chamber end , it is preferably formed with attachment deformations 22 , for example , a thread , grooves , and ridges , a stippled or knurled surface , or the like . these attachment arrangements 22 insure that the connecting bolt 21 is reliably and tightly secured in the spark plug . an electrically conductive sealing mass 23 embeds the connecting terminal 21 , together with the attachment arrangement 22 . the sealing mass 23 is fitted in the region 19 / 1 and 19 / 2 of the opening 19 in the insulator 18 of the spark plug . sealing masses of this type are well known and , preferably , include an electrically conductive glass melt ( see , for example , u . s . pat . no . 3 , 909 , 459 ). the sealing mass 23 is in electrically conductive connection and position with respect to a metal core 24 which is located in the combustion chamber end portion 19 / 3 of the central opening of the insulator 18 . it may extend , at least in part , into the central portion 19 / 2 of the longitudinal opening in the insulator . in accordance with the present invention , the core 24 , when the spark plug is cold , or below normal operating temperature , is fitted into the insulator 18 but , at least in the combustion end portion 19 / 3 , and , possibly , at least within a portion 19 / 2 of the opening 19 of the insulator , the core 24 and the insulator are spaced by a narrow gap 25 . this narrow gap is present only when the temperature of the end portion of the insulator 18 which extends into the combustion chamber is below the free - burning or self - ignition temperature of about 450 ° c . of deposits which might precipitate on the insulator . after the temperature of the spark plug , at the combustion chamber end , reaches about 450 ° c . to 500 ° c ., the gap will close -- see fig2 . the characteristics of the metal core to close the gap are due to expansion thereof upon rise in temperature . the coefficient of expansion of the metal core 24 is greater than that of the ceramic material of the insulator 18 . in accordance with a feature of the invention , the metal core 24 is preferably made of aluminum bronze , including about 8 % aluminum . other materials with similar coefficients of expansion , and good heat conductivity , may be used . suitable materials for a metal core 24 , besides aluminum alloys , are copper alloys , silver , or metal alloys which contain at least a substantial proportion of one of the materials : copper , silver or aluminum -- for example brass or tin bronze . suitable metals or metal alloys which are used for the core 24 should have a heat conductivity of more than 90 w / mk . these metal alloys , at melt - in temperatures , are either liquid , or plastically deformable , so that , upon introduction of the metal core 24 and sealing mass 23 within the insulator 18 , they fill the region 19 / 3 and , possibly , an adjacent region 19 / 2 of the opening 19 within the insulator without a gap . the core 24 , preferably , is conically expanded at the upper end by fitting within the conical portion 19 / 2 of the opening to insure a reliable seat within the insulator 18 , and prevent any possible longitudinal movement therein . manufacture and assembly of the spark plug : in a preferred form , the metal core 24 is made of aluminum bronze . the insulator 18 , connecting bolt 21 , sealing mass 23 and metal core 24 are assembled in this manner : an aluminum bronze rod of predetermined volume is fitted within the longitudinal bore 19 of the insulator 18 , locating it within the combustion chamber region 19 / 3 of the insulator opening , to completely fill the end portion of the opening 19 . a previously measured quantity of granulated sealing mass 23 -- which may be introduced also in form of a tablet , rather than as separate granules -- is introduced above the aluminum bronze rod within the opening 19 . in a subsequent assembly operation , the connecting bolt or post 21 , with the anchoring arrangement 22 , is fitted within the insulator bore 19 . the subassembly , which is longitudinally positioned , is then heated to the melt - in temperature of the sealing mass 23 . a suitable temperature is , for example about 900 ° c . pressure is applied to the connecting post 21 in downward direction -- see fig1 as schematically indicated by arrow p ( fig2 )-- of such magnitude that the heat - deformable aluminum bronze rod will deform or slightly flow so that it will fit with its entire surface within the corresponding region of the longitudinal opening 19 in the insulator -- see fig2 . the assembly is then cooled , while retaining pressure on the connecting bolt 21 , until shortly before the transformation point of the sealing mass 23 is reached , for example at about 500 ° c . upon subsequent cooling of the assembly , the metal core 24 will separate from the insulator 18 to form the gap 25 -- see fig1 . to control the desired heat transmission from the combustion side end portion of the insulator 18 towards the connecting portion of the spark plug 10 , the volume of the metal core 24 may be suitably controlled and selected . the metal core can reach more or less into the region of the sealing ring 16 ; it may be formed with stepped or different diameters . rather than using the sealing mass 23 which employs a conductive glass flux , other sealing masses can be used which , for example , additionally can include resistance elements , so that the sealing mass 23 may , at the same time , form a radio noise suppression resistor . the dome 20 is spaced from the ground or chassis electrode 13 by a gap 26 . such a gap , for example , is about 0 . 8 mm . in the preferred embodiment of the invention -- as shown in fig1 and 2 -- the metal core 24 simultaneously forms the center electrode 27 of the spark plug , and sparking occurs between the center electrode 27 and the ground electrode 13 over a path 28 formed as a narrow opening within the dome - shaped body 20 of the insulator , and the air gap 26 between the insulator 20 and the ground or chassis electrode 13 . the narrow opening or bore 28 , preferably , is centrally located and may have a diameter of between about 0 . 05 mm to 0 . 3 mm . to predetermine this opening 28 , the insulator dome or body 20 may be formed with a small depression 29 at the predetermined location . such a depression 29 may be formed at the outside of the insulator body 20 and / or at the inside of the dome - shaped bottom 20 thereof . rather than using a single bore 28 , a plurality of such openings 28 may be located in the bottom 20 . the manufacture of such openings or bores can be easily carried out by a laser beam , or by subjecting the center electrode and the ground electrode to a suitable voltage , causing arc - over through the insulator 18 to provide the opening therefor for subsequent sparking when installed in an automotive engine . preferably , the voltage used will be higher than that of the expected ignition voltage in operation . the opening can also be formed mechanically , for example by introducing a suitably formed needle ( not shown ) and pressing it into the insulator 18 to break any remaining ceramic material in the region of the opening . operation : let it be assumed that the spark plug of fig1 is installed in an automotive - type internal combustion ( ic ) engine . upon first starting the engine , the temperature of the spark plug will be at ambient temperature region . upon initial operation , the combustion end of the insulator 18 will rapidly heat , since the insulator 18 is made of a material which is poorly heat conductive at ambient temperatures . due to the gap 25 between the metal core 24 and insulator 18 , heat is hardly transmitted by the insulator 18 away from the region where the heat is generated , and the combustion side end portion of the insulator 18 will rapidly reach the inherent combustion temperature of deposits which may form on the insulator , that is , a temperature which is between about 400 ° c . to 450 ° c . at this temperature , electrically conductive deposits will burn off inherently , or freely , from the insulator 18 , thus avoiding electrical shunts or creep paths or deposits on the insulator 18 , which might cause ignition failures . when the temperature begins to exceed the range of about 450 ° c . to 500 ° c ., the metal core will expand and , including its front end portion forming the center electrode 27 , will so expand due to its temperature expansion characteristics that a substantial portion of the surface of the metal core 24 will engage the inner surface of the longitudinal bore 19 of the insulator , and especially within the range of the insulator bore portion 19 / 3 -- see fig2 . the metal core 24 will then rapidly conduct heat towards the terminal end portion of the spark plug . the dimensions and the material of the insulator body 18 are so selected that the heat transmission to the connecting or terminal portion of the spark plug 10 is controlled , so that the metal core 24 will remain solid and not melt . due to the solid phase of the insulator 18 is avoided , and short circuit between the center electrode 27 and the ground or chassis electrode 13 will be prevented . example : the metal core 24 is made of aluminum bronze . the outer diameter of the combustion side end portion of the insulator 18 is 3 . 8 mm , and extends over an axial length of 6 mm . the diameter of the combustion side portion 19 / 3 of bore 19 is 3 mm , and extends over a length of 15 mm . the diameter of the extended portion 17 of the insulator 18 increases to 9 mm , and the increase begins at about 13 mm starting from the bottom 20 of the insulator 18 . the core 24 , of aluminum bronze , has a length of 15 mm , and thus extends about up to the central region of the portion 19 / 2 of the opening 19 in the insulator . most of the spark plugs 10 of this type will have diameters of the portion 19 / 3 of the opening 19 of the insulator between 1 mm to 3 mm . aluminum bronze is a particularly desirable and suitable material for the center core 24 , which is readily plastically deformable upon assembly of the spark plug , that is , upon assembly of the insulator 18 , connecting bolt 21 , sealing mass 23 , and the core 24 , and subsequent application of pressure . other materials may be used for the core 24 which may liquefy at the melt - in temperature of the sealing mass 23 , but which remain solid at the operating temperature of the spark plug , and have the requisite expansion characteristics upon heating , and the requisite heat conductivity . aluminum is one of such metals . embodiment of fig3 : the electrical ignition path 28 &# 39 ; between the center electrode 13 ( not show ) in the region of the insulator body 20 &# 39 ; is formed by a center metallic pin 27 &# 39 ;. the metal pin 27 &# 39 ; is made of a material which is resistant to corrosion and burning , preferably a noble metal , for example a platinum metal or platinum . the metal pin 27 &# 39 ; is located within an axial opening or bore 30 &# 39 ; in the insulator body 20 &# 39 ;. a diameter of 0 . 5 mm is suitable . the tip 28 &# 39 ; has an internal head 27 &# 39 ; a , which faces the metal core 24 &# 39 ;. depending on application , the metal pin 27 &# 39 ; may have a thickness of between 0 . 2 mm to 1 mm , preferably , however , the diameter is between 0 . 3 mm and 0 . 6 mm . the head 27 &# 39 ; a may be formed at the outside of the insulator 18 &# 39 ;, or the pin may extend outside of the insulator , as shown , or two heads , similar to the head 27 &# 39 ; a , may be provided . the metal pin 27 &# 39 ; can be formed as desired ; it can be flush with the outer surface of the dome or bottom portion 20 &# 39 ; of the insulator 18 &# 39 ;, but may extend , as shown in fig3 by some distance , for example about 1 mm , from the dome 20 &# 39 ;. fig3 illustrates the operating condition at the combustion side end portion of the insulator 18 &# 39 ; and metal core 24 &# 39 ; in which the spark plug is at the operating temperature , that is , the core 24 &# 39 ; is in engagement with the combustion chamber end portion of the opening 19 &# 39 ;/ 3 of the longitudinal opening 19 &# 39 ; of the insulator . the temperature of operation of the spark plug , as shown in fig3 is above 450 ° c . if that spark plug would be cold , that is , would have a temperature of less than about 400 ° c . to 450 ° c ., a gap would occur between the insulator bore 19 &# 39 ; and the metal core 24 &# 39 ;, which mway lead to an interruption of the electrical connection between the metal core 24 &# 39 ; and the tip or pin 27 &# 39 ;. this gap , however , and as described , is very narrow . a small arc path will then result between the core 24 &# 39 ; and the ignition tip 27 &# 39 ;. this has some advantages for operation of the spark plug , as well known . rather than using a separate metal pin 27 &# 39 ;, which is fitted in the insulator bottom 20 &# 39 ; and sintered therein , a suitable metallic suspension can be introduced at the end portion , and sintered together with the insulator 18 &# 39 ;. a platinum suspension , for example as described in german patent disclosrure document de - os no . 31 32 903 , is suitable . embodiment of fig4 : the insulator 18 &# 34 ; has a metal core 24 &# 34 ; within its central opening 19 &# 34 ;. the insulator 18 &# 34 ; is formed , at its dome - shaped end , with a central opening 30 &# 34 ; to form an electrical connecting path 28 &# 34 ; which includes an electrically conductive ceramic , thereby forming the center electrode 27 &# 34 ; of the spark plug . a suitable electrically conductive ceramic 27 &# 34 ; is a porous ceramic in which metals are located within the pores thereof . such a ceramic composition may be made of aluminum oxide , without flux , and the metal within the pores may be aluminum . the aluminum within the pores of the porous ceramic portion 27 &# 39 ;&# 34 ; can be introduced and melted therein at the same time as the metal core ≧&# 39 ;&# 34 ; is fitted within the longitudinal opening 19 &# 34 ; of the insulator 18 &# 34 ;. rather than using a material which is the same , or the same as a major portion of the core 24 &# 34 ; other metals may be used , for example silver , aluminum bronze , tin bronze ; when using other materials , however , it is frequently necessary to utilize a separate operating step for introduction of the material within the ceramic . in accordance with a feature of the invention , the electrically conductive path 28 &# 34 ;, sintered within the insulator 18 &# 34 ; within the bottom region 20 &# 34 ; thereof , can be secured by means of cement or by a glaze , and contain other metals -- see , for example , german patent disclosure document de - os no . 28 54 071 . the electrically conductive path 28 &# 34 ; may also include semiconductor material -- see german patent disclosure document de - os no . 27 29 099 , or doped perowskite ceramic -- see german patent disclosure document de - os no . 28 24 408 . the semiconductor material , or the perowskite ceramic , may have other metal powders added thereto , for example platinum , nickel , chromium , cobalt ; other materials may be used which have been employed for electrical heating rods -- see swiss patent no . 105 , 078 . when the spark plug is cool , the center core metal body 24 &# 34 ; will form a small gap with the tip 27 &# 34 ;, 28 &# 34 ;. again , a small spark gap will result which , as well known , has some advantages in the operation of the plug . embodiment of fig5 : the insulator 18 &# 34 ;&# 39 ; has a central opening 30 within which a center electrode 27 &# 34 ;&# 39 ; is sintered , forming the electrical connecting path 28 &# 34 ;&# 39 ;. the center electrode tip 27 &# 34 ;&# 39 ; is made of an electrically insulating ceramic carrier 31 &# 34 ;&# 39 ; which has a surface coating of an electrically conductive layer 32 &# 34 ;&# 39 ;. a suitable conductive layer is platinum . such a center electrode 27 &# 34 ;&# 39 ; may be formed with a head 27 &# 34 ;&# 39 ; a , or without a head . the head can be located interiorly , within the longitudinal bore 19 &# 34 ;&# 39 ; or externally ( not shown ) ( see german patent disclosure document de - os no . 30 38 720 ). a short arc path will result if the spark plug is cold , that is , when the core 24 &# 34 ;&# 39 ; is spaced from the insulator 18 &# 34 ;&# 39 ; by a small gap , as in the embodiments of fig3 and 4 . preferably , the center electrodes 27 &# 34 ;, 27 &# 34 ;&# 39 ; are flush with the outer surface of the dome - shaped bottom 20 &# 34 ;, 20 &# 34 ;&# 39 ;, respectively , as shown in fig4 and 5 ; if the center electrodes project in form of a tip -- fig3 -- then the projection is , preferably , by about 1 mm . various changes and modifications may be made , and features described in connection with any one of the embodiments may be used with any of the others , within the scope of the inventive concept .
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with reference to fig1 and 2 , a prior art single stage disk shaped inflator 100 having a single centrally located initiator housing assembly 140 is illustrated . the inflator 100 as shown has a housing 101 having a top half portion 104 and a bottom half portion 102 welded or otherwise joined together . encircling the two portions 102 , 104 is a mounting flange 106 having a plurality of mounting holes 107 for attaching the inflator 100 . as shown , these disk shaped inflators 100 are commonly attached to an airbag module ( not illustrated ) for location in the driver side steering wheel . on the top portion 104 of the housing 101 is shown a plurality of gas vent holes 108 covered or sealed by a foil type burst tape . a cylindrically shaped annular filter 110 of wire mesh or similar material is shown extending from the top portion 104 to the bottom portion 102 . the filter 110 blocks burning particles from passing through the vent opening 108 when the inflator gas generant is ignited . a seal 124 is positioned internal to the annular filter 110 upon which gas generant pellets 120 are located along with auto ignition pellet 122 . in a central location of the bottom half portion 102 is an initiator housing assembly 140 . the initiator housing assembly 140 has a single initiating squib 142 with projecting electrical connectors 143 , 144 adapted to connect to a wiring connector ( not illustrated ). the initiating squib 142 has an explosive charge encapsulated in one end surrounded by an enhancer charge 150 comprising small pellets 152 . when activated the initiating squib 142 ignites causing the enhancer charge 150 to ignite which in turn causes a pressure rise internal to the initiator housing 141 forcing hot particles and expanding gases through small openings 164 thereby igniting the generant pellets 120 and auto ignition pellet 122 . this creates a further rise in pressure causing the foil 109 to burst and gases to fill the airbag ( not shown ) upon deployment . the initiator housing 141 has an opening 162 sealed by an end plate 160 . although the auto ignition pellet is not needed for a normal deployment , it is consumed during deployment . in the event that the inflator is heated by an outside source , the auto ignition pellet will begin to burn at a predetermined level , causing the inflator to deploy without structural failure . with reference to fig3 and 4 , a prior art single stage disk shaped inflator 10 according to the present invention having a single offset located initiator is illustrated . the inflator 10 as shown has a housing 11 having a top half portion 14 and a bottom half portion 12 welded or otherwise joined together . encircling the two portions 12 , 14 is a mounting flange 16 having a plurality of mounting holes 17 for attaching the inflator 10 . as shown , this disk shaped inflator 10 is also preferably attached to an airbag module ( not illustrated ) for location in the driver side steering wheel . on the top portion 14 of the housing 11 is shown a plurality of gas vent holes 18 covered or sealed by a foil type burst tape 19 . a cylindrically shaped annular filter 21 of wire mesh or similar material is shown extending from the top portion 14 to the bottom portion 12 . the filter 21 blocks burning particles from passing through the vent opening 18 when the inflator gas generant is ignited . a seal 24 is positioned internal to the annular filter 21 upon which gas generant pellets 20 are located along with auto ignition pellet 22 . in an offset location of the bottom half portion 12 is an initiator housing assembly 40 . the initiator housing assembly 40 has an initiator housing 41 with a single initiator squib 42 with projecting electrical connectors 43 , 44 adapted to connect to a wiring connector ( not illustrated ). the initiator squib 42 has an explosive charge encapsulated in one end surrounded by an enhancer charge 50 comprising small pellets . when activated the initiator squib 42 ignites causing the enhancer charge 50 inside the initiator housing 41 to ignite which in turn causes a pressure rise internal to the initiator housing 41 forcing hot particles and expanding gases through the small openings 64 in the initiator housing 41 thereby igniting the generant pellets 20 and auto ignition pellet 22 . this creates a further rise in pressure causing the foil 19 to burst and gases to fill the airbag ( not shown ) upon deployment in a single stage fashion . the housing 41 has an end opening 62 sealed by an end plate 60 . although the auto ignition pellet is not needed for a normal deployment , it is consumed during deployment . in the event that the inflator is heated by an outside source , the auto ignition pellet will begin to burn at a predetermined level , causing the inflator to deploy without structural failure . referring to fig3 , an inflator 10 was constructed of steel . the generant pellets 20 are preferably made of a non - azide gas generant . representative gas generant compositions useful in the inventive inflator housing include fuels such as aminotetrazoles , tetrazoles , bitetrazoles , triazoles , the metal salts thereof , guanidine nitrate , nitroguanidine , aminoguanidine nitrate and mixtures thereof ; in combination with an oxidizer such as the alkali and alkaline earth or transition metal nitrates , chlorates , perchlorates , ammonium nitrate and mixtures thereof . a preferred gas generant comprises a mixture of nitroguanidine with strontium and potassium nitrates . typically , the gas generant or gas producing material can comprise about 15 to about 70 weight % fuel , about 2 to about 80 weight % oxidizer and about 1 to about 30 weight % other materials , such as coolants , catalysts , binding agents and processing aids . the gas generant can be formed into various shapes using various techniques known to those skilled in the art . it is desirable to pelletize the gas generant composition . to do so , up to about 5 . 0 weight %, typically 0 . 2 - 5 weight % of a pressing aid or binder may be employed . these may be selected from materials known to be useful for this purpose and include molybdenum disulfide , graphite , elastomers , polyesters , boron nitride , silicon dioxide , talc , calcium stearate and clays . the gas generant composition may optionally contain a catalyst at up to about 3 weight %, typically between about 1 and about 2 weight %. cupric oxide is a representative combustion catalyst . the initiator housing 41 has the plurality of vent holes or openings 64 oriented to direct exhaust into the gas generant pellets 20 with a strong but directional thrust . the openings 64 are located less than 270 degrees , preferably less than 180 degrees around the periphery of the initiator housing 41 in the direction of the gas generant pellets 20 as shown . to compensate for this strong directional thrust effect , the holes 18 on the inflator housing top portion 14 are radially oriented about 360 ° in a spaced pattern and as these gases move radially outwardly the overall thrust becomes almost thrust neutral with an almost immeasurable thrust bias opposite the initiator housing 41 . with reference to fig3 , the offset single stage disk shaped inflator 10 is shown having the initiator housing assembly 40 spaced a distance ( d ) from a center location ( c ) of the inflator . the offset displacement is quite unique in that it shifts the initiating squib 42 from a central firing position to one very close to the annular filter 21 . accordingly the openings 64 are also offset meaning the hot particles and gases spraying through the inflator 10 are directionally oriented . the openings 64 preferably are directed on the portions of the initiator housing 41 exposed to the gas generant pellets 20 and the auto ignition pellet 22 . in this way the openings 64 of the initiator housing 41 orient the hot particles and gases to facilitate burning of the gas generant pellets 20 . in testing of the inventive inflator 10 , it was determined that the enhancer charge should be increased to about 2 . 0 grams , and the initiating squib charge to be in the range of 180 to 260 mg of zirconium potassium perchlorate ( zpp ) for proper performance in terms of airbag deployment . initiator booster charges in excess of 260 mg were not necessary and in fact could potentially damage the initiator housing by exceeding rated burst pressures of the crimp . lower amounts of charge , below 180 mg , could cause a delay in the gas generant burning and lead to unsatisfactory airbag deployment pressure or fill rates . empirical studies show that the size of the pellets of the enhancer could be beneficially altered to increase or improve surface area for rapid burn rates , accordingly , a pellet having a 4 mm diameter and a 1 . 2 mm length was found to be ideal from a pressure versus time analysis . in fig5 a chart is illustrated showing an inflator 10 having a 260 mg initiator booster charge 52 , 1 . 80 g of enhancer pellets 50 , 33 . 5 g of gas generant pellets 20 of a size 8 . 0 mm diameter by 1 . 7 mm length . each line represents a separate test of an inflator 10 . in fig6 a chart is illustrated showing the same proportions by weight , but wherein the 33 . 5 g of gas generant pellets 20 are of a size 8 . 0 mm diameter by 2 . 0 mm length . as a result of these empirical charts it was projected that a more preferred gas generant pellet 20 size for the offset inflator 10 was a size of 8 . 0 mm diameter by 2 . 0 mm length . for comparison purposes , the dual stage inflator with two initiators uses 180 mg of initiator booster charge and the enhancer charge is 1 . 1 grams in the primary initiator housing and 1 . 3 grams in the secondary initiator housing . the present invention uses 180 to 260 mg of initiator booster charge and 2 . 0 grams of enhancer . this represents a 0 . 4 gram reduction in the enhancer . the enhancer pellets 50 are more expensive and burn with more toxicity than the generant pellets 20 , accordingly , the reduction in enhancer load is believed to be a valuable improvement . another benefit of the single stage offset design is it has 20 % more free volume than the dual stage inflator . this means the height of the inflator housing could be reduced by at least 10 % if further miniaturization is desirable . the current invention uses an internal spacer of aluminum to occupy the free volume space and thus the housing upper and lower portions are almost identical to the dual stage housing permitting either style to be used on the same production line . variations in the present invention are possible in light of the description of it provided herein . while certain representative embodiments and details have been shown for the purpose of illustrating the subject invention , it will be apparent to those skilled in this art that various changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the scope of the subject invention . it is , therefore , to be understood that changes can be made in the particular embodiments described which would be within the full intended scope of the invention as defined by the following appended claims .
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in accordance with this invention , a side multi - lamp type on - line inside - quality inspecting device is arranged as follows : in the device , light - projecting means and light receiving means are arranged across a transport path of a transport conveyer which conveys inspecting objects one by one . the light - projecting means includes a plurality of light - projecting lamps which are arranged on one side of the transport path to concentratedly project beams of light onto the object at different angles and from different positions located in a range spreading from an obliquely front part to an obliquely rear part with respect to the surface of the object on this side . the light receiving means is arranged on the other side of the transport path and includes a shutter . the shutter is disposed between a light receiving window of a condenser lens which converges light transmitted through the inspecting object and a light inputting face of an optical fiber which leads the convergent transmitted light to a spectroscope . the shutter is thus arranged to open and close a passage of light leading to the spectroscope . the light receiving window is open toward the inspecting object when the object is in a position to be inspected . when the center of the inspecting object where the object is to be inspected comes to an inspecting position , the shutter opens to allow light transmitted through the center to come to the spectroscope through the optical fiber . in other words , the center part of the object is an inspecting part of the inspecting object and does not have to be a dimensional center of the object . the shutter is closed to shut off the passage of the transmitted light to allow no transmitted light from the condenser lens to come into the spectroscope through the optical fiber when there is no inspecting object or when the fore end part or the rear end part of the object is at the inspecting position . in other words , unnecessary rays of light are not allowed to come into the spectroscope to effectively prevent environmental changes from having adverse effects such as a rise of temperature inside of the spectroscope . the condenser lens is preferably arranged to have its objective - side focal point at a peripheral surface area of the object on the side of the lens . the condenser lens is provided with a lens hood which is arranged in front of the objective side of the lens to have a visual field toward the center of the object and with a dust - proof light receiving window which has a transparent glass on its front side . with the condenser lens arranged in this manner , the light can be effectively converged by preventing the adverse effect of disturbance light . inspecting objects on the transport conveyer are aligned by a process performed before the inspecting position to have the peripheral side surface of each of them at a fixed distance from the lens side of the light receiving means , irrespective of difference in size of them . with the inspecting objects on the move aligned on one side in this manner , the transmitted light converging condition becomes unvarying to enhance the reliability of the spectral analysis by minimizing errors . further , there is arranged means for moving a white level calibrating plate , with a mounting arm , forward and backward in such a way as to close and open the visual field in front of the light receiving window of the lens hood . the mounting arm is preferably provided with a tubular protruding part which extends from a white - level - calibrating - plate mount part toward the front of the lens hood in such a way as to encircle and shield the visual field from its surroundings . with the tubular protruding part formed in this manner , a calibrating action can be adequately carried out without being affected by any disturbance light . the white level calibrating plate is arranged to be at the objective - side focal point near to the peripheral side face of the inspecting object on the lens side . variations in temperature of the environment necessitates calibration , for example , at a start or after a pause of operation of the inside - quality inspecting device . in such a case , the white - level - calibrating - plate moving means is operated to calibrate the device by moving the white balance level calibrating plate to the front of the lens - hood light receiving window either when no inspecting object is being conveyed or by suspending the transport operation of the conveyer . the calibration enables the inspecting device to be stably used over a long period of time . in inspecting the inside - quality of each inspecting object by converging light transmitted through the object while the object is on the move , the white level calibrating plate is retracted to a stand - by position away from a transport passage to prevent it from hindering the transport . an optimum direction in which the white level calibrating plate is to be retracted to the stand - by position is determined in relation to the arrangement of the transport conveyer . the white level calibrating plate is , however , arranged to be retracted to a position which is located either outside of the transport passage in the forward traveling direction of the transport passage or upper outside of it . an orifice plate is arranged inside of the lens hood to restrict the area of passage of the transmitted light . the provision of the orifice plate effectively prevents the flare of any scattered light coming from the light receiving window or any harmful reflection light obtained within the lens hood . an air nozzle is provided for cooling with air the lens hood and the white level calibrating plate when it is in the stand - by position outside of the visual field . a cooling air blower is arranged to blow cooling air at the lens hood and the white level calibrating plate through the air nozzle . this arrangement effectively dissipates heat due to rays of light to minimize fluctuations of optical characteristics for a stable operation . each of a plurality of light - projecting lamps is provided with paraboloidal reflecting mirror to form such a beam angle that gives focal point at the center of the inspecting object . the light - projecting lamps are sealed lamps having sealed fronts and arranged to project beams of light concentratedly on the inspecting object . the arrangement permits use of small lamps as the beams of light can be efficiently projected . the sealed fronts of these lamps enables the reflecting mirrors to maintain a sufficient reflecting power by preventing them from having dust thereon and from becoming frosty . further , the light - projecting lamps are arranged to have their light - projecting optical axes deviate from each other at such angles and positions that their beams of light do not rectilinearly come into the optical axis of the condenser lens of the light receiving means . by virtue of this arrangement , the light which is diffused and transmitted through the inside of the inspecting object can be obtained in such a state that effectively gives a large amount of internal quality information . the light - projecting lamps are preferably provided with a lamp box having lamp mount parts arranged therein in such a way as to enable the light - projecting lamps to project equal quantities of light from equal distances within a range from an obliquely front part to an obliquely rear part on one side of the inspecting object when the object is in the inspecting position . the light - projecting lamps are provided further with air blowing nozzles which are arranged to blow cooling air from an air blower to the sealed parts of the lamps to dissipate heat generated by the lamp bodies , so that the service lives of the lamps can be lengthened . a control circuit is arranged to cause the plurality of light - projecting lamps to light up , for example , to a full degree , to a four quarter degree , to a three quarter degree or to some other suitable degree . with the device provided with such a control circuit , the lighting degree can be selected according to the size , item and kind of the inspecting object . the lighting degree is decreased in cases where the light transmitted through the object is too intensive and decreased where the transmitted light is too weak by easily changing the lighting degree from one degree over to another . the plurality of light - projecting lamps are arranged to be vertically movable together with the lamp box upward or downward by a remote control operation according to the position of the center of the inspecting object , that is , when the inspecting object is switched from one object over to another object having a different size . that arrangement permits switch - over of the inspecting objects to be promptly carried out . the inside - quality inspecting device may be provided with a light - reducing - filter selectively inserting mechanism as another light reducing means . the inserting mechanism is arranged to reduce the quantity of a transmitted light input to the spectroscope by selectively inserting light reducing filters of different light reducing rates into the received transmitted light passage of the light receiving means . the light - reducing - filter selectively inserting mechanism may be arranged to be operated by remote control . such arrangement further shortens the length of time required in switching the inspecting object from one kind ( or item ) over to another . the above - stated shutter is disposed within a dark box which is sealed including therein the surroundings of an optical path arranged to lead the light transmitted through the object from the condenser lens to the spectroscope . the shutter is thus arranged to normally close to prevent disturbance light and to open to lead the transmitted light to the spectroscope only when the center part of the object comes to the front of the condenser lens every time one inspecting object passes the inspecting device . the shutter is thus arranged to allow only the light transmitted with the inspecting object in the inspecting position to come into the spectroscope and to allow no other rays of light to enter the spectroscope in such a way as to allow a light receiving element disposed inside of the spectroscope to build up always from a zero level . further , in cases where the device is required to have such a high speed performance that is hardly attainable by mechanical means , the shutter which is disposed within the sealed dark box including the surroundings of the optical path from the condenser lens to the spectroscope is arranged to be driven by driving means to be normally open and to close only in detecting a dark level for calibration before or after the operation of the white level calibrating plate ; and the control circuit of a detection light receiving element disposed in the rear of the spectroscope is arranged to have an electronic shutter circuit . in this case , each of the inspecting objects is inspected by detecting the transmitted light under the time control of electrical means . in other words , in cases where a high speed performance is required for time control for each object , an electronic shutter which is arranged to electrically perform the time control is used in combination with the mechanical shutter which does not have to be frequently operated and is arranged to mechanically shut off the light passage only in detecting the dark level . a mounting arm is arranged to protrude and retract , in place of the white level calibrating plate , a reference material ( substance ) to and from the front , of the light receiving window of the condenser lens which is provided with the dust - proof lens hood . the reference material to be mounted on the mounting arm is selected from among materials which are similar or equivalent to the inspecting object in respect of transmitted light component . for mounting it , each reference material is arranged to have a holder , if it is a solid , or to be placed inside of a vessel if it is a liquid of sugar or acid . with the reference material thus mounted , any change due to the aging of a calibration curve is corrected in such a manner that the result of analysis made by a spectral analyzer on light transmitted through the reference material and led to the spectroscope is always the same as the result of analysis obtained when calibration is made the last time . in the case where a plurality of vessels containing sugar or acid reference materials are arranged , the aging change of the calibration line is corrected by inching the reference - material - containing vessels one by one and by leading the transmitted light obtained through each of them to the spectroscope . then , any aging change of the calibration curve is corrected in such a way as to make the result of analysis made by the spectral analyzer always unvarying with respect to one and the same reference material . the condenser lens of the light receiving means and the mechanisms for protruding and retracting the white level calibrating plate and for protruding and retracting the reference material in relation to the condenser lens are arranged on one and the same mount base ( frame ). the mount base is provided with a mechanism which is arranged to be caused by remote control to vertically move the mount base upward and downward . the height of a light receiving optical axis is thus arranged to be adjustable by moving the mount base upward or downward according to the size of the inspecting object which varies depending on the item and kind of the inspecting object . the lamp box of the light - projecting means and the light receiving means on the other side are preferably made of some vibration - proof rubber material . the use of such rubber material prevents the device from being affected by the vibrations of the transport conveyer to further lessen the errors of the spectral analysis . an inside - quality inspecting device which is arranged according to this invention as a first embodiment thereof is described with reference to fig1 to 8 as follows : fig1 and 2 show in outline the essential parts of the on - line inside - quality inspecting device adapted for inspection of agricultural products . referring to fig1 and 2 , the illustrations include a transport conveyer 1 which is arranged to transport an inspecting object f . light - projecting means 2 is arranged to project beams of light on the object f from on one side thereof . light receiving means 3 is arranged to receive transmitted light obtained through the inside of the object f as a result of the light projection by the light - projecting means 2 . the transport conveyer 1 is arranged to convey a row of inspecting objects f for inspecting inside - quality one by one . the transport conveyer 1 may be any of conveyers conventionally used for measuring the size or the appearance of agricultural products , such as a belt conveyer , a chain conveyer or a chain conveyer with receiving trays , so long as they are arranged to convey the inspecting objects f in a row in the traveling direction of them . in actually inspecting the inside - quality of each of the objects f , the grades of size and shape are also measured along with the inside - quality inspection in many cases . these measuring processes are arranged to be performed before or after the inside - quality inspection on the same transport conveyer . as shown in fig1 and 2 , each inspecting object f conveyed by the transport conveyer 1 is in a state of having no obstacles on its two sides when it passes between the mount parts of the light - projecting means 2 and the light receiving means 3 . the light - projecting means 2 includes a plurality of light - projecting lamps 21 . these lamps 21 are arranged and mounted on a lamp box 22 in such a way as to project beams of light on one side of the object ( agricultural product ) f to cover its range of surface area from an obliquely front area to an obliquely rear area when the object f is in an inspecting position . each of the light - projecting lamps is relatively small in size and is provided with a paraboloidal reflecting mirror 212 which is arranged to form a beam angle 211 to give a focal point at the inspecting position 11 . each of these lamps is preferably a sealed halogen lamp and has its front sealed with a heat resistive sealing glass 213 . since the small lamps can be lighted up at a low voltage , the size of their filament can be reduced to enhance their light converging efficiency . in addition to that , use of a nichrome wire having a relatively large diameter effectively makes the service lives of the lamps longer . the light - projecting lamps 21 are arranged , as shown in fig1 and 2 , in a configuration arcuately or radially spreading from an obliquely front point to an obliquely rear point on one side of the inspecting position 11 . it is preferable that the lamps are equally spaced and arranged in a plurality of steps also in the vertical direction of the radial configuration . the light - projecting lamps 21 are mounted at such angles and positions that the beams of light passing through the focal point on the optical axis do not rectilinearly come into the light receiving optical axis 301 of a condenser lens 31 of the light receiving means 3 . a cooling air blowing duct 23 for dissipating heat on the lamp side is arranged along the sealed parts 214 and the sockets of the light - projecting lamps 21 . heat generated from the sealed parts 214 , the sockets 215 and the bodies of the lamps 21 is thus dissipated by blowing air from an air blower to prevent overheat . the air is blown from the air blower which is not shown by connecting suitable air blowing means to a connection port 232 . the light - projecting lamps are provided in a large number necessary for projecting light in a sufficiently large quantity to obtain a sufficiently large quantity of transmitted light from such an inspecting object that does not readily allow light to be transmitted therethrough . however , the electric circuit of the inspecting device includes means for increasing or decreasing the number of lamps to be lighted up according to the object . the number of lamps , therefore , can be reduced in inspecting an object through which light is readily transmitted , such as tomatoes or the like . the light receiving means 3 includes , as main parts , a condenser lens 31 ; an optical fiber 32 which is arranged to lead convergent transmitted light to a spectroscope which is not shown ( in the drawings ); a shutter 33 which is arranged to shut up the light inputting face of the optical fiber 32 ; a light - reducing - filter mounting plate 34 ; a white level calibrator 35 ; and a quality - reference - material inserting ( check ) unit 36 . these main parts of the light receiving means 3 are mounted , in combination , on a mount base 30 . in the case of this embodiment , these main parts are mounted on 1 the upper side of the mount base 30 . however , they may be arranged on the lower side of the mount base 30 . the condenser lens 31 is arranged to have an objective - side focal point 311 on a peripheral surface of the object f when the object is in a center inspecting position on the transport conveyer 1 . the condenser lens 31 is provided with a lens hood 312 which extends near to the object f ; and a light receiving window 313 which has a transparent glass disposed in front of it . the lens hood 312 is arranged to ensure efficient input of such transmitted light that comes from the front part of a visual field which is defined by the light receiving window 313 , so that the adverse effects of any undesirable incoming light such as disturbance light existing around the condenser lens 31 can be effectively prevented . an orifice plate 314 is arranged to prevent a harmful flare of scattering light coming from the light receiving window disposed between the condenser lens 31 and the filter mounting plate 34 within the lens hood 312 or that of reflection light within the lens hood 312 . the optical fiber 32 is mounted with its light inputting face 321 adjusted to the image forming position of the condenser lens 31 . the transmitted light which comes into the condenser lens 31 through the light receiving window 313 is imaged on the light inputting face 321 of the optical fiber 32 to be led by the optical fiber 32 to the spectroscope for spectral analysis . the shutter 33 is arranged preferably near to the convergent transmitted light imaging position of the condenser lens 31 , i . e . the light inputting face 321 of the optical fiber 32 . the shutter 33 has a plurality of cutaway parts 331 formed and evenly spaced along the periphery of a disk , as shown in fig8 and is arranged to open or close a light receiving optical path in front of the light inputting face 321 of the optical fiber 32 . more specifically , the shutter 33 is caused to open every time the center part of each object f passes the inspecting position 11 by a stepping drive unit 332 which is arranged to drive the shutter 33 in an inching manner for the object f one by one . with the shutter 33 opened in this manner , the transmitted light from the object f is passed through the optical fiber 32 . the shutter 33 is caused to rotate to close in the inching manner by the stepping drive unit 332 when the inspecting part ( the center part , for example ) of the inspecting object f has passed away from the inspecting position 11 . in other words , the shutter 33 is arranged to open to pass the transmitted light to the spectroscope at such timing that is adjusted to arrival at the inspecting position of the inspecting part ( the center part ) of the object f being randomly conveyed by the transport conveyer irrespective as to whether a plurality of inspecting objects are conveyed at regular intervals or at irregular intervals . however , when the fore and rear ends of object f is passing and during an interval time between one object and another , the shutter remains closed . in the case of this embodiment , the shutter 33 is thus arranged to remain open for inspecting the center part of the object f for a fixed period of the traveling time of the transport conveyer 1 and to remain closed for other parts of the object f , irrespective of the size of the object f . a command to operate the shutter 33 is arranged to be given by known means such as a shift signal or the like sent in synchronism with the transport conveyer 1 by detection means of one of varied kinds such as a camera , which is arranged on the upstream side of the transport conveyer 1 to measure the outside diameter , the color and the shape of the inspecting object f . a light - reducing - filter mounting plate 34 has a plurality of filter mounting holes 341 . one of the holes 341 is left blank while light reducing filters 342 of different light reducing rates are respectively placed in other holes . the filter mounting plate 34 is mounted on a shaft 343 in a position adjusted to the center of a light passage through which the received light passes between the condenser lens 31 and the light inputting face of the optical fiber 32 . the holes 341 of the filter mounting plate 34 are selectively used by rotating the mounting shaft 343 through a miter gear 345 with a knob handle 344 which is disposed on the outside of the device . the light reducing filter selecting operation may be arranged to be performed by remote control , with a stepping motor or a like drive device provided , instead of using the knob handle 433 . the shutter 33 and the filter mounting plate 34 are arranged in a dark room which is encompassed with plates to prevent them from being affected by disturbance light . the white level calibrator 35 which has a white level calibrating plate 351 is shown in fig3 and 4 as in a calibrating action . the white level calibrator 35 is mounted on a mounting arm 353 with a retaining metal 352 . the mounting arm 353 is mounted on a rotation shaft 355 protruding upward from a stepping motor r 354 which is disposed below the mount base 30 . for a calibrating operation , the stepping motor r 354 is caused to make a normal rotation or a reverse rotation to bring the white level calibrating plate 351 forward in front of the light receiving window which is on the front side of the condenser lens 31 or to retract it from the transport path . the position of the peripheral face 3511 of the white level calibrating plate 351 which is in contact with the mounting arm 353 is adjusted to the objective side focal point 311 of the condenser lens . the mounting arm 353 is provided with a tubular projection 3531 which protrudes toward the lens hood 312 and serves to prevent any adverse effect of disturbance light that might come into the light receiving window 313 from between the white level calibrating plate 351 and the light receiving window 313 . a detection switch 356 is arranged to detect that the mounting arm 353 is in its stand - by position by means of a detection piece 357 . a detection switch 358 is arranged to detect that the mounting arm 353 is in a position in front of the light receiving window of the condenser lens 313 to permit a calibrating operation . the detection switch 358 is provided with a detection piece 359 which is disposed at the mounting arm 353 . a white level calibrating operation is performed with the white level calibrating plate 351 found by the detection switch 358 to be in a predetermined position in front of the condenser lens hood 312 . the on - line inspecting device is actuated after the mounting arm 353 is found by the detection switch 356 to have been retracted from the transport path . these operations are automatically carried out respectively through a control circuit in accordance with operation commands . fig5 and 6 show the quality reference material check unit 36 as in a state obtained in making a check with a quality reference material 361 . in the case of this embodiment , a plurality of quality reference materials 361 are prepared by placing solutions having a high degree of sugar , a low degree of sugar , a high degree of acidity and a low degree of acidity , respectively , in vessels 362 which are made of transparent quartz glass . with these solutions placed therein , the vessels 362 are plugged up with plugs 3621 . each of the quality reference material containing vessels 362 are loaded on a mounting arm 363 , which is arranged to be capable of bringing each of these vessels 362 to the position of the objective side focal point 311 of the condenser lens 31 . the mounting arm 363 consists of a sectoral light blocking wail part 3631 which arcuately spread to block light in front of the lens hood 312 ; a plurality of loading parts 3632 which are horizontally arranged side by side along the peripheral part of the light blocking wall part 3631 to receive the plurality of vessels 362 ; an upper retainer 3633 ; a peep hole 3634 which forms a passage for transmitted light between each of the loading parts 3632 and the lens hood 312 ; and an arm part which is arranged at a lower part of the mounting arm 363 to horizontally extend below the condenser lens 31 . the arm part is mounted on the output shaft 3641 of a stepping motor s 364 . each of the peep holes 3634 serves to prevent an adverse effect of disturbance light coming into the light receiving window when a weak transmitted light is led from the condenser lens to the optical fiber 32 . the quality reference material check unit 36 is used as necessary for correcting variations of a calibration curve of spectral analysis taking place after the white level calibration in cases where environment temperature or humidity have changed or where any changes happen to take place with the lapse of time . this check unit 36 is retracted away from the locus of transport ( transport path ) of the transport conveyer 1 while the object f is in process of on - line inspection as shown in fig1 . in making a check , the check unit 36 is operated as follows : the stepping motor s 364 is actuated to bring the loading part 3632 and the peep hole 3634 of each of the reference material containing vessels 362 to a position corresponding to the light receiving window 313 of the condenser lens 31 one after another . the light transmitted through each reference material and obtained from the peep hole 3634 is passed through the optical fiber 32 to be subjected to spectral analysis . then the calibration curve is corrected according to the result of spectral analysis . a position confirming sensor or the like of any of varied kinds is arranged around the stepping motor s 364 or its output shaft 3641 to find whether the mounting arm 363 is in the process of checking the quality reference material on the locus ( path ) of transport or is in its retracted position outside of the transport locus . the quality reference material 361 may be used in a liquid , gel or solid state . the light receiving means is provided with a cooling air blowing duct 37 . the duct 37 is provided with air blowing nozzles 371 which are arranged to blow cooling air of an air blower at the upper part of the lens hood 312 of the condenser lens 31 , the upper part of the white level calibrating plate 351 which is retracted on one side of the lens hood 312 and the upper parts of the quality reference materials 361 . heat generated by rays of light is thus arranged to be dissipated . the cooling air blowing duct 37 can be arranged in any suitable shape to blow air at various parts of the light receiving means 3 . fig9 and 10 show a second embodiment of the inside - quality inspecting device according to this invention . in the second embodiment , a white level calibrator 35 a of light receiving means 3 a differs from the white level calibrator 35 of the first embodiment . in the case of the second embodiment , a mounting arm 353 a is arranged to be operated in a different direction in moving a white level calibrating plate 351 a forward and backward to and from the front of a condenser lens 31 a . with the exception of the white level calibrator 35 a , the condenser lens 31 a , an optical fiber 32 a , a shutter 33 a , a light - reducing - filter mounting plate 34 a , etc . of the second embodiment are arranged in the same manner as in the first embodiment . light - projecting means 2 a of the second embodiment is also arranged in the same manner as that of the first embodiment . the details of these parts are , therefore , omitted from the description . in the case of the second embodiment , the white level calibrating plate 351 a is mounted on the mounting arm 353 a by means of a retaining metal 352 a . the mounting arm 353 a is mounted on the rotation shaft 355 a of a stepping motor t 354 a . the white level calibrating plate 351 a is arranged to be moved to a retracted position above the condenser lens 31 a as shown by two - dot chain lines in fig1 and to be moved forward to the front of the condenser lens 31 a for a calibrating action . in other words , the white level calibrating plate 351 a is moved to the front of the light receiving window 313 a of the condenser lens 31 a or to a retracted position which is located above the lens hood 312 a . a cylindrical projection 3 s 31 is formed to extend from the mounting arm 353 a toward the lens hood 312 to shield a part between the white level calibrating plate 351 a and the light receiving window 313 a of the lens hood 312 a from surroundings , so that no disturbance light is allowed to come into the light receiving window 313 a . the light receiving means 3 a includes a cooling air blowing duct 37 a . the cooling air blowing duct 37 a is provided with an air blowing nozzle 371 a and is arranged to have air from an air blower blown at the tubular projection 353 a of the white level calibrating plate 351 a . with the cooling air blowing duct 37 a arranged in this manner , heat generated by rays of light at the condenser lens 31 a and the white level calibrating plate 351 a can be effectively dissipated . a mount base 30 a supports the condenser lens 31 a by means of a lifting - and - lowering shaft 38 and a lifting - and - lowering guide 381 which are arranged to vertically adjust the height of the light receiving optical axis 301 a of the condenser lens 31 a . the lifting - and - lowering shaft 38 is arranged to be driven to vertically move the light receiving means 3 a by a motor - driven cylinder , a motor - driven slider or a known linear motion driving mechanism which is not shown but is arranged to use a rack - and - pinion arrangement . with the embodiment arranged in this manner , the light receiving optical axis is adjusted by moving the mount base 30 a to make it lower when the inspecting object is a small fruit item and higher when the inspecting object is a large fruit item . fig1 shows a third embodiment of the inside - quality inspecting device according to this invention . the third embodiment is adapted for a transport conveyer with receiving trays which are arranged to be used in processing inspecting objects in a large quantity . in fig1 , a reference numeral 4 denotes the transport conveyer with receiving trays . conveyer chains 43 are endlessly stretched on chain rails 42 arranged on the inner sides of a conveyer frame 41 . tray mounting members 44 are arranged in parallel between the conveyer chains 43 . two ends of each tray mounting member 44 are mounted on the conveyer chain 43 on the two inner sides of the conveyer frame 41 . a plurality of receiving trays 45 are mounted on each receiving tray mounting member 44 with some spacing intervals provided between them for setting light - projecting means 2 b and light receiving means 3 b . a plurality of transport paths are thus formed in a shape of spacing strips . at each strip of the transport paths , the mounting position of the light - projecting means 2 b and that of the light receiving means 3 b are arranged to deviate forward and rearward with respect to the traveling direction of the transport conveyer 4 . the intervals between the spacing strips are arranged to be not excessive . each of the light - projecting means 2 b and the light receiving means 3 b is provided with a mounting part on its upper side and is mounted on the lower side of an upper frame 5 . more specifically , the light - projecting means 2 b is mounted on the upper frame 5 by means of a lamp box mount metal 51 in such a way as to project beams of light concentratedly on an inspecting object which is on the receiving tray 45 . the light receiving means 3 b is mounted on the upper frame 5 through a mount base 52 by means of mounting metal 53 in an upside - down posture with respect to the light receiving means of the first embodiment shown in fig1 and 2 . the structural arrangement of the light - projecting means 2 b and the light receiving means 3 b of the third embodiment is the same as that of the first and second embodiments described . therefore , the details of them are omitted from the following description . the upper frame 5 has a lifting - and - lowering shaft 55 extending downward from a bracket 54 . a lower frame 56 has a bearing 57 arranged to have the shaft 55 to extend therethrough . a lifting - and - lowering unit which is not shown is arranged within the lower frame 56 to move the upper frame 5 upward or downward , through the shaft 55 , to adjust the position of the light - projecting means 2 b which concentratedly projects light and that of the light receiving means 3 b to the size of the object on the receiving tray 45 . the lifting - and - lowering unit which is not shown is arranged to move the light - projecting and - receiving means 2 b and 3 b upward or downward by a known linear motion driving mechanism such as a motor - driven cylinder , a motor - driven slider or a rack - and - pinion mechanism . according to the arrangement of the third embodiment described above , a large amount of inspecting objects can be processed to inspect the internal quality of them by using one transport conveyer which is arranged to convey them on receiving trays aligned in a plurality of strips . according to this invention , as described in the foregoing , beams of light are concentratedly projected on the inspecting objects obliquely from one side of them by a plurality of light - projecting lamps while they are conveyed on a conveyer in such a way as to cover a wide surface area of each of them ranging from an obliquely front area to an obliquely rear area . therefore , even in the event of inspecting an agricultural product having a thick skin , the projected light can penetrate through various inner parts of the inspecting object . even in cases where the inside - quality of the object on its sunny side differs from its shadow side in respect of a sugar forming degree , acidity or the like , information oil the inside - quality covering a wide range is obtained from transmitted light coming to the opposite side of the object , so that averaged inside - quality data can be obtained for each inspecting object . according to this invention , a plurality of light - projecting , lamps are arranged to project beams of light in a concentrating manner . since this arrangement permits use of small lamps individually having a relatively small output , they do not generate much heat , so that the service life of the lamps can be lengthened while the other parts around them can be saved from being affected by any excessive heat . further , according to this invention , the shutter is provided between the condenser lens and the light input face of the optical fiber which leads the condensed transmitted light to the spectroscope . the shutter enables the inspecting device to do spectral analysis by allowing the spectroscope to receive only the light transmitted through the center portion of the object while the object is traveling on the transport conveyer . in one aspect of the invention , the inspecting device provides that the condenser lens is encompassed with the dust - proof lens hood , which defines a visual field on the objective side of the lens . therefore , while the transmitted light coming from the front of the condenser lens is allowed to be incident on the optical fiber , all disturbance light that exists outside of the visual field is not allowed to be incident on the optical fiber . the lens hood thus enables the inspecting device to carry out spectral analysis without being affected by any disturbance light . the means for moving the white level calibrating plate is arranged to move the white level calibrating plate to and from the front of the condenser lens under the above - stated condition . by virtue of that arrangement , the white level calibration can be promptly made not only before a start of the inspecting device but also when changes take place in temperature or in environmental conditions and also when the inspecting operation is in pause . therefore , the spectral analysis can be always reliably carried out . according to the arrangement in another embodiment of this invention , the adverse effects of unnecessary scattering light coming into the lens hood and stray light such as flares taking place inside of the lens hood are eliminated to allow only the light transmitted through the inspecting object is led to the light inputting face of the optical fiber . therefore , the arrangement enhances the accuracy and reliability of the results of the spectral analysis . according to the arrangement in yet another embodiment , the cooling air is blown at the condenser lens and the white level calibrating plate which receives the light of the light - projecting means . therefore , the results of spectral analysis is effectively prevented from being affected by a gradual temperature increase of the light receiving means . according to the arrangement in a further embodiment , the reflecting power of the small sealed lamps having the focal point of their beams at the inspecting object never decreases . since the small lamps are thus arranged to be easily handled , the beams of light can be projected by using many of them from a wide range of different directions . the sealed lamps never overheat as the cooling air is blown at their sealed parts . these sealed lamps are thus arranged to have halogen gas circulate inside of them in a state of being not excessively heated nor excessively cooled , so that their service lives can be increased by the arrangement . further , since the arrangement according to this invention permits the operator of the inspecting device to vary the quantity of projecting light by increasing or decreasing the number of light - projecting lamps to be used for inspection , the inside - quality inspection can be made for inspecting objects of a wide range of different kinds including agricultural products having thick skins such as watermelons , melons and thick - skin tangerines and having thin skins such as apples , peaches , pears , etc . since the height of the light - projecting lamps is adjustable according to the size of the inspecting objects , such as melons , apples , tangerines , etc . by remote control , the arrangement to use the inspecting device for one kind of object can be promptly and easily switched over to the arrangement to use it for another kind of object . according to another aspect of the invention , the quantity of light incident on the spectroscope is adjustable by selectively inserting light reducing filters of varied kinds into the transmitted - light - receiving optical path of the light receiving means even when the quantity of transmitted light varies with the kind or item of the inspecting object . in cases where the amplifying degree of the operational amplifier of the spectral analyzer has been adjusted beforehand to an item having a small quantity of transmitted light , the spectral analysis can be stably carried out without overflowing by selecting and using one of the light reducing filters if the current inspecting object is of a kind giving a larger quantity of transmitted light . according to yet another aspect of this invention , no light is allowed to come through the optical fiber , so that the light receiving element of the spectroscope can be kept at its zero level , except when the transmitted light obtained from the central inspecting part of the object is to be examined . the output of the spectroscope , therefore , always builds up from zero to give a reliable result of analysis every time the inspection is made on one object . according to a further aspect of this invention , the electronic shutter which is included in the control circuit of the light receiving element disposed in rear of the spectroscope can be continuously operated at a high speed because the shutter includes no mechanical element . therefore , the processing capability per unit time of the inspecting device can be enhanced by increasing the speed of the transport conveyer . it has been a shortcoming of conventional spectral analyzers that their calibration curves come to deviate from a normal state and fluctuate with the changes of temperature and the lapse of operating time in cases where they are in operation for several hours every day . according to a still further aspect of this invention , on the other hand , the spectral analyzer always uses a calibration curve in an optimum state irrespective of changes in temperature and the length of operation time , because the embodiment of this invention is arranged to make calibration with a white level calibrating plate and also to correct deviations by making spectral analysis on light transmitted through the vessels containing therein reference materials such as sugar and acid materials . the inside - quality inspecting device arranged to have the above - stated advantages according to this invention is best suited for use in combination with a screening - and - sorting conveyer for sorting agricultural products and the like by quality . while the foregoing description and drawings represent the present invention , it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made therein without departing from the true spirit and scope of the present invention .
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a first embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to fig1 - 3 . referring to fig1 an ac power supply section 1 supplying a rated voltage such as a commercial ac voltage of 100 v is connected through a bus 2 to a dc power supply section 3 . the dc power supply section 3 comprises a rectifier circuit 3a converting the ac voltage of 100 v to a dc voltage and a well - known voltage stabilizer circuit 3b converting the dc voltage from the rectifier circuit 3a to a constant dc voltage v5 of 5 volts , at which value a control unit 4 including a microcomputer normally operates . voltage drop detecting means 5 is supplied with a primary dc voltage from the dc power supply section 3 or an input voltage v a of the voltage stabilizer circuit 3b . the voltage drop detecting means 5 detects the input voltage v a taking a predetermined value v9 of 9 volts or below . upon detection of the input voltage taking the value v9 of 9 volts or below , the voltage drop detecting means 5 delivers a voltage drop detection signal sa1 as a data write command signal to the control unit 4 . a control unit reset circuit 6 is also supplied with the primary dc voltage v a from the dc power supply section 3 . the control unit reset circuit 6 delivers a command signal sa2 as an initial reset signal to the control unit 4 for initiation of its operation when the input voltage v a is lower than the voltage v9 at which the voltage drop detection signal sa1 is delivered and has reached a voltage v7 of 7 volts sufficient for reaching the constant voltage v b of 5 volts suitable for the control unit 4 operating normally . a non - volatile memory 7 is connected to the control unit 4 . data of a cumulative operating time period internally stored in the control unit 4 , for example , is written into the non - volatile memory 7 and the written data is read out in case of need . the data stored in the non - volatile memory 7 is preserved even when the non - volatile memory 7 is disconnected from the power supply . an operation section 8 is provided for supplying to the control unit 4 commands of on - off control of a power supply switch , a controlled variable and the like . the operation section 8 is connected to the control unit 4 . display means 9 is also connected to the control unit 4 so that a user can visually determines as to whether the control unit 9 is operating or not . the operation of the microcomputer - based control device thus arranged will now be described . when the dc power supply section 3 is connected to the ac power supply section 1 supplying the ac voltage of 100 v , the following occurs between start and step s1 in fig2 . fig3 shows a voltage characteristic of the dc power supply section 3 . the axis of ordinates represents voltage and the axis of abscissas represents time in fig3 . as understood from fig3 the above - mentioned first output voltage or the primary dc voltage v a in the dc power supply section 3 is gradually raised . when the primary dc voltage v a exceeds the value of 7 volts , the constant dc voltage of 5 volts or the secondary dc voltage v b is supplied from the dc power supply section 3 to the control unit 4 and simultaneously , the control unit reset circuit 6 delivers the signal sa2 to the control unit 4 so that the operation of the control unit 4 is initiated . the primary dc voltage v a is further raised to exceed the voltage v9 of 9 volts at which value the voltage drop detecting means 5 determines the voltage drop . the primary dc voltage v a is then stabilized at 14 volts . in this while , the voltage drop detection signal sa1 is not generated by the voltage drop detecting circuit 5 . the reason for this is that the voltage drop detecting circuit 5 is arranged to deliver the voltage drop detection signal sa1 to the control unit 4 only when the primary dc voltage v a drops from the value of 9 volts or above to the value of 9 volts or below . the data of the cumulative operating time period of the control unit 4 , for example , is read out from the non - volatile memory 7 , at step s1 . however , since no data is stored in the non - volatile memory 7 when the control unit 4 is operated for the first time , the control device advances to step s2 with initial data . at step s2 , a system control program whose data is stored in a read - only - memory ( rom ) of the microcomputer incorporated in the control unit 4 is executed . when the power supply from the ac power supply section 1 to the dc power supply section 3 is interrupted by occurrence of service interruption or an inadvertent disconnection of the plug from the plug socket , such an interruption is indirectly detected in step s3 . the detection of the interruption is achieved by the voltage drop detecting means 5 monitoring the output of the primary dc voltage v a of the dc power supply section 3 . steps s2 and s3 are looped when no change occurs in the power supply or when the primary dc voltage v a is maintained at the reference value of 9 volts or above even after occurrence of a slight change in the power supply . when one of switches in the operation section 8 is turned on while the control unit 4 is in the loop of steps s2 and s3 , this &# 34 ; on &# 34 ; signal is supplied to the control unit 4 . in response to the signal , the control unit 4 continues to deliver to the display means 9 a signal indicating that the control unit 4 is normally operating . however , this signal delivered to the display means 9 need not be a particular signal indicating that the control unit 4 is normally operating . for example , the signal indicative of the capacity of a fan such as intense , medium or weak may be used to indicate that the control unit 4 is operating . when the primary dc voltage v a drops to the reference voltage value of 9 volts or below in some cause or other , this drop of the primary dc voltage v a is detected by the voltage drop detecting means 5 , which delivers the voltage drop detection signal sa1 to the control unit 4 . in step s4 , the control unit 4 receives the voltage drop detection signal sa1 . in response to the signal sa1 , the control unit 4 operates to write into the non - volatile memory 7 the data stored in ram of the control unit 4 and disappearing upon interruption of the power supply . it is determined in step s5 whether or not the primary dc voltage v a is continuously dropping . steps s5 and s6 are looped until the primary dc voltage v a drops to the value of 7 volts or below , which value is a minimum value supplying the constant voltage of 5 volts to the control unit 4 or while the control unit reset circuit 6 is delivering the signal sa2 . the control unit reset circuit 6 stops delivering the signal sa2 when the voltage v a has dropped to the value of 7 volts or below , whereby the microcomputer - based control device completely stops its operation . as described above , the voltage drop detecting means 5 is provided for detecting the voltage drop in the dc power supply section 3 . the data in the control unit 4 is written into the non - volatile memory 7 to be stored only when the control unit 4 receives the voltage drop detection signal sa1 from the voltage drop detecting means 5 . accordingly , the data can be prevented from disappearing in the occurrence of the service interruption and the frequency of write of the data into the non - volatile memory 7 can be reduced to a large extent . consequently , the service life of the non - volatile memory can be prevented from being uselessly shortened , which does not necessitate the use of an expensive non - volatile memory and prevents the rise of the production cost of the control device . the detection value on which the voltage drop is detected is set at the value v9 higher than the voltage v7 which is the minimum value necessary for supply of the constant voltage from the dc power supply section 3 to the control unit 4 . accordingly , the control unit 4 has enough time and is supplied with enough power to write the data into the non - volatile memory 7 even when the power supply is to be interrupted . consequently , the data can be reliably stored in the non - volatile memory 7 . furthermore , the display means provides an easy visual confirmation of the normal operation of the control unit 4 . although the voltage drop detecting means and the control unit reset circuit are connected between the dc power supply section and the control unit in the foregoing embodiment , they may be provided in the same circuit as of the dc power supply section . fig4 and 5 illustrate a second embodiment of the invention . the microcomputer - based control device is applied to an air conditioning equipment in the second embodiment . referring to fig5 an air conditioning control unit 12 is provided instead of the control unit 4 in the foregoing embodiment . an operation program for controlling the air conditioning operation is previously stored in the air conditioning control unit 12 . the non - volatile memory 7 is connected to the air conditioning control unit 12 . data of a cumulative operating time period internally stored in the unit 12 , for example , is written into the non - volatile memory 7 and the written data is read out in case of need . the data stored in the non - volatile memory 7 is preserved even when the non - volatile memory 7 is disconnected from the power supply . an operation section 16 is provided for supplying to the air conditioning control unit 12 commands of on - off control of a power supply switch , a controlled variable and the like . the operation section 16 is connected to the air conditioning control unit 12 . display means 13 also connected to the air conditioning control unit 12 is provided for displaying an operational mode of the air conditioning control unit 12 , for example , by activating a light - emitting - diode ( led ) or for displaying characters such as &# 34 ; check filter &# 34 ; when the time for replacement of replaceable air filter ( not shown ) has come , so that the user can visually determine the time for replacement of the air filter . a fan motor 14 is connected through a drive circuit 15 to the air conditioning control unit 12 . the fan motor 14 is driven in accordance with a control signal from the air conditioning control unit 12 to induce an air flow so that a filthy air is filtrated through an air filter . the operation of the microcomputer - based control device applied to the air conditioning equipment will be described . when supplied with the ac voltage of 100 volts from the ac power supply section 1 , the dc power supply section 3 converts the supplied ac voltage to the dc voltage to deliver it . then , the primary output voltage v a of the dc power supply section 3 is gradually raised . when the primary output voltage v a exceeds the voltage v7 of 7 volts , the secondary output voltage v b of 5 volts is supplied to the air conditioning control unit 12 and simultaneously , the control unit reset circuit 6 delivers the command signal sa2 to the air conditioning control unit 12 for initiation of its operation . the primary dc voltage v a is further raised to exceed the voltage v9 of 9 volts which value is determined to be a low voltage by the voltage drop detecting means 5 . the primary dc voltage v a is then stabilized at 14 volts . in this while , the voltage drop detection signal sa1 is not generated by the voltage drop detecting circuit 5 . when supplied with the electrical power as described above , the air conditioning control unit 12 executes the program as shown in fig4 . the air conditioning control unit 12 reads the data of the cumulative air conditioning operation time period stored in the non - volatile memory 7 at step p1 . the cumulative air conditioning operation time period refers to a cumulative time period of the air conditioning operation performed by the air conditioning control unit 12 . since no data is stored in the non - volatile memory 7 when the air conditioning control unit 12 is to be operated for the first time , the control device advances to step p2 with initial data . at step p2 , an air conditioning operation control program whose data is stored in rom of the microcomputer incorporated in the control unit 4 is executed . in the execution of the program , the fan motor 14 is driven through the drive circuit 15 in accordance with the control signal supplied thereto from the air conditioning control unit 12 , whereby the filthy air is sucked to be caused to pass through the air filter for the filtration and then exhausted . the air conditioning control unit 12 counts the period of time for which the air conditioning operation is performed , and stores the data of the cumulative air conditioning operation time period in the internal memory such as ram . the air conditioning control unit 12 delivers to the display means 13 a display signal indicative of the time for the replacement of the air filter when the value indicated by the data of the cumulative air conditioning operation time period reaches a predetermined value corresponding to the time for replacement of the air filter , for example , 1 , 500 hours . consequently , characters of check filter are displayed on the display 13 , for example . when the power supply from the ac power supply section 1 to the dc power supply section 3 is interrupted by occurrence of service interruption or an inadvertent disconnection of the plug from the plug socket , such an interruption is indirectly detected in step p3 . the detection of the interruption is achieved by the voltage drop detecting means 5 monitoring the output of the primary dc voltage v a of the dc power supply section 3 . steps p2 and p3 are looped when no change occurs in the power supply or when the primary dc voltage v a is maintained at the reference value of 9 volts or above even after occurrence of slight change in the power supply . when one of the switches in the operation section 16 is turned on while the control device is in the loop of steps p2 and p3 , this &# 34 ; on &# 34 ; signal is supplied to the air conditioning control unit 12 . in response to the signal , the air conditioning control unit 12 continues to deliver to the display means 13 a signal indicating that the control unit is normally operating . furthermore , the mode of the air conditioning operation is displayed on the display 13 in accordance with the display signal from the air conditioning control unit 12 or the signal indicative of the capacity of a fan such as intense , medium or weak . the air conditioning control unit 12 determines whether or not the voltage drop detection signal sa1 has been delivered by the voltage drop detecting means 5 , at step p3 . in this case , when the primary dc voltage v a drops to the reference voltage value of 9 volts or below in some cause or other , this drop of the primary dc voltage v a is detected by the voltage drop detecting means 5 , which delivers the voltage drop detection signal sa1 to the air conditioning control unit 12 . the determination of the air conditioning control unit 12 is based on the delivered voltage drop detection signal sa1 . when the voltage drop detection signal sa1 has been input , the air conditioning control unit 12 determines in the affirmative at step p3 and advances to step p4 where the data of the cumulative air conditioning operation time period stored in ram is written into the non - volatile memory 7 . then , the air conditioning control unit 12 advances to step p5 . on the other hand , when the voltage drop detection signal sa1 has not been input from the voltage drop detecting means 5 , the air conditioning control unit 12 determines in the negative at step p3 and then returns to step p2 . it is determined in step p5 whether or not the primary dc voltage v a is continuously dropping . steps p5 and p6 are looped until the primary dc voltage v a drops to the value of 7 volts or below , which value is a minimum value for supplying the constant voltage of 5 volts to the air conditioning control unit 12 or while the control unit reset circuit 6 is delivering the signal sa2 . the control unit reset circuit 6 stops delivering the signal sa2 when the voltage v a has dropped to the value of 7 volts or below , whereby the microcomputer - based control device completely stops its operation . in this state , the non - volatile memory 7 stores the data of the cumulative air conditioning operation time period previously stored in ram based on the counting operation of the air conditioning control unit 12 immediately before the interruption of the power supply . thereafter , when the power supply is put to work to restart the operation , the data stored in the non - volatile memory 7 is read into the air conditioning control unit 12 as described above at step p1 . consequently , the data of a correct cumulative air conditioning operation time period can be stored regardless of the occurrence of the interruption of the power supply . the foregoing disclosure and drawings are merely illustrative of the principles of the present invention and are not to be interpreted in a limiting sense . the only limitation is to be determined from the scope of the appended claims .
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next , embodiments of the present disclosure are further described in combination with the drawings . with reference to fig1 , a general structure of a specific embodiment of the present disclosure is shown . an integrated flying - spot x - ray apparatus according to the present disclosure comprises a ray generator 40 configured to generate an x - ray , a revolving collimator device 60 provided thereon with at least one aperture and arranged to be rotatable about the ray generator 40 , a frameless torque motor 80 configured to drive the revolving collimator device 60 to rotate about the ray generator 40 , and a cooling device 20 configured to cool the ray generator 40 . the ray generator 40 , the revolving collimator device 60 , the frameless torque motor 80 and the cooling device 20 are integrally mounted on frames 10 and 11 . the integrally mounted frames or integrated frames 10 , 11 comprise a supporting frame 10 configured to support the frameless torque motor 80 and the cooling device 20 , and a bracket 11 configured to be fixedly connected with the supporting frame 10 to fix the ray generator 40 . the supporting frame 10 is used for supporting the frameless torque motor 80 and the cooling device 20 , and the bracket 11 is used for supporting the ray generator 40 . with reference to fig2 , the ray generator 40 may comprise a cathode protecting end cap 41 , a plug 42 , such as an aviation plug , an outer sleeve 43 with a ray outlet , an inner protecting sleeve 44 with a ray outlet , calking windows 45 , an 0 - shaped sealing ring 46 , an anode end cap 47 , a high voltage generator 90 , a tube joint 49 , a second anode insulation protecting seat 50 , a positioning pin 51 , a first anode insulation protecting seat 52 , a bulb tube 53 , a labyrinth protecting ring 54 , and an expansion drum 55 . as shown in fig2 , the ray generator 40 comprises an x - ray tube 53 , a high voltage generator 90 configured to drive the x - ray tube 53 , an inner protecting sleeve 44 provided outside of the x - ray tube 53 and used for shielding and protecting ; and an outer sleeve 43 provided outside of the inner protecting sleeve 44 and used for protecting . the inner protecting sleeve 44 and the outer sleeve 43 each have a ray outlet . the ray outlets are aligned with each other and hence communicate with each other to direct the x - ray from the x - ray tube 53 out of the ray generator 40 . as shown in fig2 and 7 , the high voltage generator 90 loads a high voltage onto the two ends of the bulb tube 53 through the aviation plug 42 , so that the x - ray is generated . the ray exits from an opening 72 forming a sector - shaped conical beam . the opening 72 is provided on the outer sleeve 43 and is opened with a certain angle , e . g ., 110 degrees shown in fig6 , along the circumferential direction . as shown in fig2 , the positioning pin 51 is used for defining the beam outputting direction of the bulb tube 53 . specifically , the anode end cap 47 is provided at an anode target 56 side of the x - ray tube 53 . the first anode insulation protecting seat 52 and the second anode insulation protecting seat 50 are further provided between the anode end cap 47 and the anode target 56 , and they form a labyrinth channel . the cathode protecting end cap 41 is provided at a cathode side of the x - ray tube 53 . the labyrinth protecting ring 54 is further provided between the cathode protecting end cap 41 and the cathode of the x - ray tube 53 . as shown in fig8 , the first anode insulation protecting seat 52 and the second anode insulation protecting seat 50 are combined integrally to form a cavity 501 . a fluid guiding hole 502 on the first anode insulation protecting seat 52 and a liquid injecting hole 503 on the second anode insulation protecting seat 50 are misaligned with each other , so that a labyrinth structure is formed . as shown in fig2 , the labyrinth protecting ring 54 functions to form a labyrinth for a cathode lead outlet and high voltage insulation oil returning outlet so as to prevent leakage of the ray . as shown in fig2 , the respective ray outlets of the inner protecting sleeve 44 and the outer sleeve 43 are provided therein with a calking window 45 . the material for the calking window 45 is a material through which the x - ray can pass . after passing through the respective ray outlets of the inner protecting sleeve 44 and the outer sleeve 43 and the calking windows 45 , the ray exits along the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the radiation source generator 40 in a predetermined angle range , such as a 4 degree angle range shown in fig5 . as shown in fig2 , the cathode protecting end cap 41 , the inner protecting sleeve 44 , the second anode insulation protecting seat 50 , the first anode insulation protecting seat 52 and the labyrinth protecting ring 54 are made of a material that can shield the ray , and the second anode insulation protecting seat 50 and the first anode insulation protecting seat 52 have an insulation property . the cathode protecting end cap 41 is provided with a bending through hole 550 . when the cathode protecting end cap 41 and the expansion drum 55 are fitted together , a gas chamber 551 is formed . with reference to fig7 , the outer sleeve 43 is provided with the beam exiting opening 72 . the outer sleeve 43 is also formed on the outer side wall thereof with a boss 71 having a shaft shoulder . as shown in fig2 , 7 and 10 , the revolving collimator device 60 comprises at least one bearing 63 supported on the boss 71 having the shaft shoulder of the outer sleeve 43 , a flying - spot revolving protecting ring 64 supported by the at least on bearing 63 and configured to be revolvable about the outer sleeve 43 , side protecting plates 61 provided at two sides of the flying - spot revolving protecting ring 64 , respectively , and right and left end caps 62 and 65 . as shown in fig2 , 5 and 6 , the anode target 56 of the bulb tube 53 gives a great amount of heat out while generating the ray . in order to expedite heat dispersion , a number of fluid guiding holes 52 are distributed on the anode target 56 along the circumference thereof . when a cooling liquid passes through the fluid guiding holes 57 , the heat from the anode target 56 is brought away , so that the normal operation of the bulb tube 53 is ensured . furthermore , as shown fig2 , 8 and 9 , the cavity around the x - ray tube 53 is filled with the high voltage insulation oil , and the expansion drum 55 is further provided between the labyrinth protecting ring 54 and the cathode protecting end cap 41 . the cavity around the bulb tube 53 is filled with the high voltage insulation oil to bring the heat generated from the bulb tube away . since the insulation oil is heated , the volume of the insulation oil expands to press the expansion drum 55 . at the same time , the heated insulation oil is drawn out from the tube joint 49 of the anode end cap 47 by a magnetic pump 23 , and then is cooled by a heat exchanger 21 , and then passes through a tube joint 48 provided at an end close to the labyrinth protecting ring 54 , and then passes through the labyrinth channel formed by integrally combining the first anode insulation protecting seat 52 and the second anode insulation protecting seat 50 , and then returns back into the cavity around the bulb tube 53 through the fluid guiding hole 57 , so that the expansion amount of volume of the oil will be constant . as shown in fig1 - 4 , the cooling device 20 comprises the magnetic pump 23 configured to pump the heated high voltage insulation oil , the heat exchanger 21 configured to cool the pumped high voltage insulation oil , and an oil passage configured to convey the pumped high voltage insulation oil into the heat exchanger 21 for heat exchanging . then , the cooled high voltage insulation oil returns back into the cavity around the x - ray tube 53 . in a preferred embodiment , as shown in fig3 , the cooling device 20 further comprises a fan 22 for further enhancing the heat exchanging efficiency of the heat exchanger 21 . next , the operation of the integrated flying - spot x - ray apparatus according to the specific embodiments of the present disclosure is explained in combination with fig2 and 10 . as shown in fig2 and 10 , the revolving collimator device 60 with at least one aperture comprises the side protecting plates 61 , the left end cap 62 , the bearing 63 , the flying - spot revolving protecting ring 64 and the right end cap 65 . the bearing 63 is mounted on the boss 71 provided with the shaft shoulder and provided on the outer side wall of the outer sleeve 43 , and the flying - spot revolving protecting ring 62 is mounted on the bearing 63 to form a rotation body . the flying - spot revolving protecting ring 65 are provided with a small through hole 75 . the right end cap 65 is connected with a rotor 81 of the frameless torque motor 80 by screws , and a stator 82 is fixed on the supporting frame 10 by screws . the frameless torque motor 80 drives the revolving collimator device 60 with the through hole 75 to rotate . a dynamic spot - by - spot scanning operation can be achieved by revolving about the through hole 75 of the revolving collimator device 60 provided on the periphery of the ray generator 40 . as shown fig2 , the side protecting plates 61 provided at two sides and the flying - spot revolving protecting ring 64 are made of a material which can shield the ray , and hence form a shielding cavity to efficiently prevent leakage of the ray . although the flying - spot revolving protecting ring 64 is provided with a small through hole along the radial direction in the above embodiment , the present disclosure is not limited thereto . a plurality of through holes may be provided . while the present disclosure has been described in conjunction with the drawings , the embodiment shown in the drawings is only an example for explaining preferred embodiments of the present disclosure and is not intended to limit the present disclosure . although some embodiments for the general concept of the present disclosure have been shown and explained , the skilled person in the art will appreciate that modifications to the above embodiments can be carried out without departing from the spirit and principle of the present general inventive concept . the scope of the present disclosure should be defined by the appended claims and equivalents thereof .
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embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings . as shown in fig1 , an imaging lens 2 is an optical lens including a combination of a resin component 4 and a resin component 6 . the resin component 4 has a convex lens portion 4 a . the convex lens portion 4 a is surrounded by a non - lens portion 4 b or flange . the resin component 6 also has a convex lens portion 6 a . the convex lens portion 6 a is surrounded by a non - lens portion 6 b or flange . the convex lens portion 4 a of the resin component 4 and the convex lens portion 6 a of the resin component 6 are aligned with each other . an optical axis runs through the centers of the convex lens portions 4 a and 6 a . a diaphragm 8 is provided between the non - lens portion 4 b of the resin component 4 and the non - lens portion 6 b of the resin component 6 in the interface of the resin components 4 and 6 . the resin component 4 is composed of a resin 4 a , and the resin component 6 is composed of a resin 6 a . the resin 4 a and 6 a are of photocurable or thermally curable types . the resin 4 a and 6 a are different materials with different optical dispersions ( abbe &# 39 ; s numbers ), and in particular a low dispersion material for the resin 4 a while a high dispersion material for the resin 6 a . the resin 4 a and 6 a may be of the same type . next , a method of manufacturing the imaging lens 2 will now be described . as shown in fig2 a , a lens array mold 10 is coated with a resin 4 a . the lens array mold 10 has an array of multiple recess portions 12 . the shape of each recess portion 12 corresponds to the shape of the convex lens portion 4 a of the imaging lens 2 . then , as shown in fig2 b , one of the lens array mold 10 and a plate member 20 is moved toward the other such that the space between the lens array mold 10 and the plate member 20 is filled with the resin 4 a , and the resin 4 a is cured by light or heat . then , as shown in fig2 c , the plate member 20 is removed . then , as shown in fig2 d , the diaphragm 8 is formed on the cured resin 4 a . the diaphragm 8 may be formed with a photoresist including black pigments through photolithography or with a metal film such as a chromium film through etching . an inkjet or screen printing process can also be applied to form the diaphragm 8 . alternatively , a dimensionally stable black diaphragm member with a similar shape to the lens array , having a light - transmission hole at a region corresponding to the convex lens portion 4 a , can be sandwiched between the resins 4 a and 6 a to form a diaphragm 8 . this prevents a change in distances between the convex lens portions 4 a and 6 a after demolding . then , as shown in fig2 e , a lens array mold 30 is coated with the resin 6 a . the lens array mold 30 has an array of multiple recess portions 32 . the shape of each recess portion 32 corresponds to the shape of the convex lens portion 6 a of the imaging lens 2 . then , as shown in fig2 f , while the cured resin 4 a and the diaphragm 8 are left on the lens array mold 10 , one of the lens array mold 30 and 10 is moved onto the other such that the space between the lens array molds 30 and 10 is filled with the resin 6 a , and then the resin 6 a is cured by light or heat . preferably , the lens array molds 10 and 30 are provided with alignment marks preliminarily formed , so that alignment between these lens array molds 10 and 30 can be achieved through matching of the alignment marks . alternatively , the lens array molds 10 and 30 are provided with alignment guides preliminarily formed , so that the alignment between the lens array molds 10 and 30 can be achieved by abutting the guides mutually . then , as shown in fig2 g , the lens array molds 10 and 30 are detached from the cured resins 4 a and 6 a to give a lens array 34 composed of the resins 4 a and 6 a . the lens array 34 including convex lens portions 4 a and 6 a is cut into multiple imaging lenses 2 . alternatively , the lens array 34 can also be delivered from the factory as it is . according to the above embodiment , from the curing step of the resin 4 a on the lens array mold 10 ( see fig2 b ) to the removal step of the lens array molds 10 and 30 ( see fig2 g ), the process is carried out with the cured resin 4 a remaining on the lens array mold 10 . this keeps the cured resin 4 a fixed to the recess portions 12 and thus can prevent a change in distance between convex lens portions 4 a caused by the resin 4 a at least during those steps . moreover , the resin components 4 and 6 are composed of the resins 4 a and 6 a , respectively , which are different resins . the combination of different resins can achieve higher optical performance and more flexible designing compared to a case of manufacturing an imaging lens with a single resin material . in addition , the curing of the resin 4 a with the plate member 20 enables the corresponding face of the cured resin 4 a to be planarized , thus facilitating the formation of the diaphragm 8 inside the imaging lens 2 . such a process does not require a diaphragm structure 36 such as a housing having an opening corresponding to the convex lens portion 4 a ( see fig1 ) over the exterior of an imaging lens 2 , and alignment between the imaging lens 2 and the diaphragm 36 or an aperture position . this can improve handling performance or versatility of the imaging lens 2 . here , the convex lens portion 4 a of the resin component 4 and the convex lens portion 6 a of the resin component 6 may have any profile and can be produced with appropriate lens array molds 10 and 30 having corresponding profiles . as shown in fig3 , a stacked imaging lens 40 is a combination lens including two lenses , namely a lens 42 and a lens 44 . the lens 42 has a convex lens portion 42 a and a concave lens portion 42 b . the convex lens portion 42 a and the concave lens portion 42 b are surrounded by a non - lens portion 42 c or flange . the lens 44 also has a convex lens portion 44 a and a concave lens portion 44 b . the convex lens portion 44 a and the concave lens portion 44 b are surrounded by a non - lens portion 44 c or flange . the convex lens portion 42 a and the concave lens portion 42 b of the lens 42 and the convex lens portion 44 a and the concave lens portion 44 b of the lens 44 are all arranged in corresponding positions . the concave lens portion 42 b of the lens 42 faces the concave lens portion 44 b of the lens 44 . the centers of the convex lens portion 42 a , the concave lens portion 42 b , the convex lens portion 44 a , and the concave lens portion 44 b are aligned to a common optical axis . a diaphragm 46 is provided between the non - lens portions 42 c and 44 b of the lens 42 and 44 , respectively . instead of such a configuration , the convex lens portion 42 a may be a concave lens portion , the concave lens portion 42 b may be a convex lens portion , the convex lens portion 44 a may be a concave lens portion , and / or the concave lens portion 44 b may be a convex lens portion . the lens 42 is composed of a resin 42 a , and the lens 44 is composed of a resin 44 a . the resin 42 a and 44 a are photocurable or thermally curable resins . the resin 42 a and 44 a are composed of different materials with different optical dispersions ( abbe &# 39 ; s numbers ), and in particular one of the resins 42 a and 44 a is composed of a low dispersion material and the other a high dispersion material . in the case of the stacked imaging lens 40 , which is a combination lens , and has an air layer between the lens 42 and 44 , the resin 42 a and 44 a may have the same refractive index . the resin 42 a and 46 a may be the same resin . next , a method of manufacturing the stacked imaging lens 40 will now be described . as shown in fig4 a , the lens array mold 50 is coated with the resin 42 a . the lens array mold 50 has an array of multiple recess portions 52 . the shape of each recess portion 52 corresponds to the shape of the convex lens portion 42 a of the lens 42 . then , as shown in fig4 b , one of the lens array molds 50 and 60 is moved onto the other such that the space between the lens array molds 50 and 60 is filled with the resin 42 a , and the resin is cured by light or heat . the lens array mold 60 has an array of multiple projection portions 62 . the shape of each projection portion 62 corresponds to the shape of a concave lens portion 42 b of the lens 42 . preferably , the lens array molds 50 and 60 are provided with alignment marks preliminarily formed , so that the lens array molds 50 and 60 are aligned with each other by matching the alignment marks . then , as shown in fig4 c , the lens array mold 60 is removed . a diaphragm 46 is then formed on the cured resin 42 a . the diaphragm 46 can be formed by the same process for the diaphragm 8 in the first embodiment . the diaphragm 46 may extend over a part of the concave lens portion 42 b . a surface covered by the diaphragm 46 is curved in this case , then the diaphragm 46 is preferably formed by an inkjet printing technique . in this case , at least an area of the lens array mold 60 corresponding to the area covered by the diaphragm 46 is preferably planar . this has an advantage in that the planar surface can allow for use of patterning techniques , such as photolithography and screen printing , which are rather inappropriate to delineate high precision patterns on a curved surface . as shown in fig4 d , a cured resin 44 a on a lens array mold 70 is formed aside from the cured resin 42 a by a similar process shown in fig4 a through 4c . then , as shown in fig4 e , while the cured resin 42 a and the diaphragm 46 remain on the lens array mold 50 and the cured resin 44 a remains on the lens array mold 70 , one of the lens array molds 50 and 70 is moved onto the other to bond the cured resin 42 a , the diaphragm 46 , and the cured resin 44 a . the lens array molds 50 and 70 are preferably provided with alignment marks preliminarily formed , then the lens array molds 50 and 70 are aligned with each other through matching the alignment marks , and are mutually bonded with an adhesive or any other means . then , as shown in fig4 f , the lens array molds 50 and 70 are detached from the cured resins 42 a and 44 a to give a stacked lens array 72 including the cured resins 42 a and 44 a . the stacked lens array 72 including the convex lens portions 42 a ( or the concave lens portion 42 b , or the convex lens portions 44 a , or the concave lens portion 44 b ) is cut into multiple stacked imaging lenses 40 . alternatively , the lens array 72 can also be delivered from the factory as it is . according to the above embodiment , from the step of curing the resin 42 a in the lens array mold 50 and curing the resin 44 a in the lens array mold 70 ( see fig . 4b and 4d ) through the step of removing the lens array molds 50 and 70 ( see fig4 f ), the process is carried out with the cured resins 42 a and 44 a remaining on the lens array molds 50 and 70 , respectively . accordingly , the cured resins 42 a and 44 a are maintained in the recess portions 52 and 72 , respectively , at least during those process steps . this enables variations in distances to be reduced between the convex lens portions 42 a and between the convex lens portions 44 a caused by the resins 42 a and 44 a . moreover , the lenses 42 and 44 are formed with different resins 42 a and 44 a . the combination of different resins can achieve higher optical performance and more flexible designing of the lens compared to a case of manufacturing a stacked imaging lens with a single resin material . in addition , the cured resin 42 a is bonded with the cured resin 44 a after the diaphragm 46 is formed on the cured resin 42 a . this indicates that the diaphragm 46 is formed inside the stacked imaging lens 40 . this does not require a diaphragm structure 74 such as a housing having an opening corresponding to the convex lens portion 42 a ( see fig3 ) over the exterior of a stacked imaging lens 40 , and alignment between the stacked imaging lens 40 and the diaphragm 74 or an aperture position . this can improve handling performance or versatility of the stacked imaging lens 40 . here , the convex lens portion 42 a and the concave lens portion 42 b of the lens 42 and the convex lens portion 44 a and the concave lens portion 44 b of the lens 44 may have any profile and can be produced with appropriate lens array molds 50 , 60 , and 70 having corresponding profiles . the present invention can be suitably applied to an imaging lens and an image capturing device including such an imaging lens .
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achieving reliable paint adhesion to plastic surfaces such as thermoplastic olefins ( tpos ), particularly those based on propylene polymers in general , polyvinyl halides , specifically pvc , polycarbonates and other polymers is a recurring need in the automotive and other industries . generally , when painting olefin based plastics , adhesion promoters containing volatile organic compounds ( vocs ) are used . the use of voc containing compounds presents both health and environmental concerns . an alternative to voc - containing adhesion promoters which is safe for both people and the environment is cold gas plasma , but obtaining improved adhesion levels and long term surface modification of pvc and propylene polymers materials are continuing objectives . these and other objectives are achieved by the present invention . plasma is often referred to as the fourth state of matter . when energy is applied to a solid , the solid can undergo a transition to the liquid state . if further energy is applied , the liquid becomes a gas . if additional energy of the proper kind is applied , the gas dissociates and becomes a plasma . plasmas exist in a variety of forms . most cosmic plasmas are of a very high energy and temperature ( in excess of several thousand degrees celsius ) and consequently unusable in industry and with plastics in particular . by applying the appropriate type of energy and selecting an appropriate gas environment , one can create a plasma particularly useful with plastics . for the treatment of plastics , the preferred plasma is a low pressure or vacuum process so the temperature is at or only slightly elevated above ambient , preventing thermal degradation of the plastic or thermal distortion of the molded article . inside the plasma chamber where the polymer to be treated is present , active species in the form of electrons , free - radicals , and ions collide with the polymer surface , breaking molecular bonds and creating new functional groups on the polymer surface . since the energy of the active species is not great enough to penetrate more than a few molecular layers of a polymer , only the surface is modified and the bulk properties of a material remain unchanged . without being limited by theory , it is believed that there are at least three competing molecular processes or reactions which are capable of altering the polymer simultaneously , leading to a complex result : 1 . ablation : the removal by evaporation of surface material and organic contaminants , also referred to as etching ; 2 . crosslinking : the chemical connection of two or more polymer chains ; and 3 . activation : the substitution of atoms in the polymer molecule with chemical groups from the plasma . these reactions are affected by , and potentially controlled through , the gas chemistry and the process variables associated with a particular plasma treatment system . it is also known that plasma contains a very high - energy vacuum ultraviolet ( uv ) radiation . uv creates free radicals on the surface of the polymer which are identical in nature to radicals created by electron bombardment , and thus react in a similar manner to chemically modify the surface . plasma treatment system configuration also plays an important role in processing large size parts , or large quantities of smaller parts . barrel type plasma systems generate a &# 34 ; secondary plasma &# 34 ; in that the actual glow discharge or &# 34 ; primary plasma &# 34 ; is generated between a cylindrical , mesh sleeve and the barrel wall . since the part to be surface treated is usually placed on a stage in the center of the barrel , diffusion of constantly depleting active species are transported to the part . a secondary plasma system is therefore inefficient due to line - of - site shadowing of various radiation , such as uv , lack of uniformity due to a radial radio frequency ( rf ) field effect , and differing specie densities . preferred plasma systems for use in the present invention are the more technologically advanced , primary plasma systems which incorporate a parallel plate electrode design where parts to be treated are exposed directly to the primary field of rf energy . the subsequent primary plasma is particularly more uniform and more efficient since the part is exposed in all three dimensions to the glow discharge . with higher pressure processes ( but still within the general definition of a cold gas plasma ), some form of gas delivery system , designed to create a uniform laminar flow of process gas throughout the entire chamber volume is beneficial . in multiple electrode / shelf designs , it is important that each of the electrodes receive equal amounts of rf energy . in this manner a uniform glow discharge is created in between each shelf or in each plasma zone . solid state components and microprocessor control of the systems parameters of process time , flow rate , power level , and working pressure , will also ensure process uniformity , efficiency , and repeatability . since plasmas are electrically conductive atmospheres , they carry a characteristic impedance to the output of the rf generator . therefore , the preferred plasma process utilizes a matching network to constantly tune the plasma impedance to the output impedance of the rf generator . advanced plasma systems suitable for use in the present invention are available from himont plasma science , foster city , california ( a business unit of himont u . s . a ., inc . ), and incorporate an automatic matching type of network and provisions for error checking during a process . the low temperature plasma is generated in a gaseous atmosphere at reduced pressure of from about 0 . 001 to about 10 torr , preferably from about 0 . 01 to about 5 torr , more preferably from about 0 . 05 to about 1 . 0 torr , most preferably from about 0 . 125 to about 0 . 400 torr . the electric power can be supplied to the equipment at a high frequency , from about 40 khz to 3 ghz , preferably from 13 to 27 mhz , and most conveniently at 13 . 56 mhz . to achieve the desired plasma condition in the gaseous atmosphere , the electric power delivered to the apparatus can vary over a range of from about 10 to 10 , 000 watts ; preferably from about 50 to about 5 , 000 watts , more preferably from about 75 to about 1 , 000 watts , most preferably from about 200 to about 500 watts . the power used is somewhat dependent on chamber working volume . the most preferred 200 to 500 watts is appropriate for himont plasma science ps0350 or ps0500 gas plasma apparatus with working volumes of 3 . 5 and 5 . 0 cubic feet , respectively . the plasma treatment time varies from a few seconds to several tens of minutes , preferably from about 20 seconds to about 30 minutes , most preferably from 20 seconds to about 7 minutes . it should be appreciated that treatment pressure , time and power are interrelated , rather than independent , variables . the effect of the level selected for each of these variables will determine the extent of polymer surface modification ; also related are the chamber volume and geometry as well as the sample size and surface geometry . the selection of the level for these variables is within the ordinary skill of practitioners in the art to which this invention pertains . this invention provides a particular and unique gas combination of n 2 o and co 2 which when used to treat polymer surfaces according to this invention provides not only a modified polymer surface but one that is time - enduring . the n 2 o / co 2 mixtures are effective from 80 to 40 mol % n 2 o with 20 to 60 mol % co 2 , preferably 70 to 45 mol % n 2 o / 30 to 55 mol % co 2 , most preferably from 60 to 45 mol % n 2 o / 40 to 55 mol % co 2 , where the amount of n 2 o and co 2 in the mixture equals 100 mol %. the plasma process is generally practiced as follows . the parts to be treated are placed into a vacuum chamber and the chamber pressure is reduced , typically to 0 . 05 torr . the process gas mixture employed is introduced to the chamber and the chamber pressure stabilized at a pressure of 0 . 5 - 1 . 0 torr . the interior dimensions of the work area is approximately 0 . 33 × 0 . 41 × 0 . 44 meters ( width × height × depth ) for a total working volume of 0 . 06 cubic meters . a suitable high frequency form of energy , typically 13 . 56 mhz radio frequency energy , is used to create the plasma ; in the system described this is achieved with a total power input capacity of 550 watts . the rf energy dissociates the gas , creating a plasma characterized by a distinctive glow . since the process is conducted at reduced pressures , the bulk temperature of the gas is near ambient temperature , thus the reference to a cold gas plasma , a glow discharge , or a cold gas glow discharge . the electrons or ions created in the plasma bombard the polymer &# 39 ; s surface , abstracting atoms or breaking bonds creating free radicals . these free radicals are unstable and seek to satisfy a more stable state by reacting with free radicals or groups within the plasma gas , also establishing new moieties on the surface of the polymer . in this manner the polymer surface can be molecularly re - engineered in a highly complex manner to provide a physical state and functional groups that enhance adhesion of the paint and other coating materials and provide reactive sites that can result in covalent chemical bonding of the paint to the polymer . the modified surface condition of the plastic and covalent bonds enhance the permanency and the adhesive tenacity of the paint or coating material to the polymer . as described above , treating a polymer with plasma can increase its surface energy by modifying the surface chemistry . greater surface energy offers the potential for greater chemical reactivity and compatibility to paints , inks and other coating materials . enhanced surface reactivity is characterized in the laboratory by water wettability . wettability describes the ability of a liquid to spread over and penetrate a surface , and can be measured by the contact angle between the liquid and the surface or by the use of reference liquids with known properties . the relationship between contact angle and surface energy is direct ; contact angle decreases with surface energy . contact angle measurements are sometimes also used as a general indication of the presence of contaminants . the cleaner the surface , the lower the contact angle a water drop will make with the surface . for example , a surface contaminated with mold release agent will make a contact angle of 80 ° to 90 ° , indicating poor wettability ; and silicones will form a contact angle greater than 90 degrees . many clean metal surfaces show a contact angle of 30 ° to 70 ° . on the other hand , plasma - treated surfaces yield a contact angle 20 ° or less , suggesting reduced contamination and / or greater surface energy . it is appreciated that bonding in manufacturing processes , including paint adhesion , is a complex and specialized field , and although cleanliness and wettability are necessary for good adhesion , such conditions do not guarantee it . plasma treatment is a complex chemical process and the results of the operation depend on the chemistry of the surface and the chemistry of the plasma . the resultant surface chemistry must be compatible with any bonding agents , including paints . plasma treatment of the polymers of the present invention using the gas composition taught herein provides unexpected advantages in surface condition and paint and coating adhesion . the polymers useful in the present invention are comprised of isotactic and sydiotactic propylene polymer materials , ethylene polymers , polyamides , polyesters , polystyrene , styrene copolymers containing 70 % polymerized styrene units , polycarbonate , polyphenylene ether ( ppe ), and polyvinyl halide polymers generally and pvc in particular . propylene polymer materials and ethylene polymers include homopolymers , copolymers and terpolymers with other alpha - olefin monomers and / or aliphatic diene monomers , and mixtures of such polymers . suitable propylene polymer materials include ( i ) homopolymers of propylene ; and ( ii ) random crystalline propylene copolymers , terpolymers or both , containing from about 80 to about 98 . 5 % of propylene ; preferably about 90 to about 95 %, more preferably about 92 to about 94 % of propylene ; and from about 1 . 5 to about 20 . 0 % of at least one comonomer selected from the group consisting of ethylene and c 4 - c 10 alpha - olefins . when a c 4 - c 10 alpha - olefin is not present , the copolymer preferably contains from about 2 to about 10 % ethylene , more preferably from about 7 to about 9 %. when a c 4 - c 10 alpha - olefin is present , the terpolymer preferably contains from about 0 . 5 to about 5 %, more preferably about 1 to about 3 % ethylene and from about 2 . 5 to about 10 . 0 %, preferably about 3 to about 7 %, more preferably about 4 . 0 to about 6 . 0 % of an olefin selected from the group consisting of c 4 - c 8 alpha - olefins . included also are mixtures of such copolymers and terpolymers , with or without polypropylene homopolymer . additionally useful propylene polymer materials are ( iii ) heterophasic or impact - modified polyolefin compositions obtained by sequential copolymerization or mechanical blending of ( i ) or ( ii ) with an elastomeric olefin copolymer or terpolymer fraction such as elastomeric ethylene - propylene , ethylene - butene - 1 , propylene - butene - 1 copolymers , and ethylene - propylene - diene monomer terpolymers . suitable heterophasic polyolefin compositions of this type include , for example , those described in european patent application ep a - 416 379 , and in european patent ep b - 77 532 . suitable heterophasic polyolefin compositions identified as ( iii ), above , can comprise ( by weight ): ( a ) 90 - 55 parts of polypropylene homopolymer having an isotactic index greater than 90 , and / or a crystalline copolymer of propylene with ethylene and / or with an α - olefin of formula ch2 ═ chr , where r is a c 2 - c 6 alkyl radical , containing less than 10 % of ethylene and / or α - olefin , preferably from 0 . 5 to 9 %, more preferably from 2 to 6 % by weight , and ( b ) 10 - 70 parts , preferably 20 - 40 , of an elastomeric copolymer of propylene with ethylene or with an α - olefin of formula ch2 ═ chr , where r is a c 2 - c 6 alkyl radical or mixtures thereof , wherein the total of ( a ) and ( b ) is 100 parts . the c 4 - c 10 alpha - olefin is selected from the group consisting of linear and branched alpha - olefins such as , for example , 1 - butene , isobutylene , 1 - pentene , 1 - hexene , 1 - octene , 3 - methyl - 1 - butene , 4 - methyl - 1 - pentene , 3 , 4 - dimethyl - 1 - butene and ethyl - 1 - hexene . the propylene polymer materials described herein , including isotactic polypropylene , random copolymers and terpolymers of propylene and their mixtures , with or without polypropylene homopolymer and the heterophasic polymer compositions are available commercially from himont u . s . a ., inc . and himont italia s . r . l . polyvinyl halide polymers useful in the present invention are well known , particularly pvc . it is produced commercially primarily as a homopolymer although copolymers are also useful . in copolymers vinyl chloride constitutes 50 % by weight or more of the polymer , with one or more copolymerizable monomers selected from the group consisting of vinyl esters , such as vinyl acetate , vinyl ethers , acrylic acid and esters thereof , methacrylic acid and esters thereof , maleic acid and esters and anhydride thereof , fumaric acid and esters thereof , aromatic vinyl compounds , such as styrene , vinylidene halides , such as vinylidene chloride , acrylonitrile , methacrylonitrile and alpha - olefins , such as ethylene and propylene . commercial pvc typically is produced by an addition polymerization process using a free radical formed by the decomposition of an initiator . control of the polymerization temperature typically results in isothermal conditions which produces a polymer with a narrow molecular weight distribution . the polymer is partially crystalline ( syndiotactic ) with a significant amount of unsaturated chain ends , e . g ., about 60 % depending on the mode of termination . in addition , a small amount of chain branching ( about 4 %) can be present . pvc is susceptible to decomposition at temperatures as low as 100 ° c . and is sold commercially with thermal stabilizers . pvc polymer is usually mixed or compounded with other materials to make a usable product . the flexible pvc products contain varying amounts of plasticizers whereas rigid products contain little or no plasticizers . plasticizers vary in their compatibility with pvc and are used in various concentrations depending on that compatibility . plasticizers are susceptible to migration , e . g ., bleeding or blooming to the surface , and therefore can significantly affect the adhesion and paintability of the plasticized compound , thus making the advance of the present invention particularly valuable . typical plasticizers useful in pvc compositions include esters of phthalic acid , such as dioctyl phthalate , dibutyl phthalate and butyl benzyl phthalate , esters of aliphatic dibasic acids , such as dioctyl adipate and dibutyl sebacate , glycol esters , such as esters of pentaerythritol and diethylene glycol dibenzoate , esters of aliphatic monocarboxylic acid , such as methyl acetylricinoate , esters of phosphoric acid , such as tricresyl phosphate and triphenyl phosphate , epoxidized oils , such as epoxidized soybean and linseed oil , esters of citric acid , such as acetyltributyl citrate and acetyltrioctyl citrate , trialkyl trimellitates , tetran - octyl pyromellitate and polypropylene adipate as well as other kinds of plasticizers including polyester - based plasticizers . other classes of additives which may be used in pvc compositions include heat resistance improvers , lubricants , stabilizers , fillers , antioxidants , ultraviolet absorbers , antistatic agents , antifogging agents , pigments , dyes , crosslinking agents , fusion promoters and lubricants for rigid pvc . in order to improve mechanical properties , e . g ., impact strength , pvc polymers can be blended with other polymers , particularly elastomeric polymers , such as acrylonitrile - butadiene - styrene , urethane elastomers , ethylene - vinylacetate copolymers , acrylonitrile - butadiene copolymers , styrene - acrylonitrile copolymers , methyl methacrylate - butadiene copolymers , polyamide resins , polycaprolactams , epoxy modified polybutadiene resins and chlorinated polyethylene . when elastomeric polymers are used their concentration typically does not exceed about 50 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of the vinyl chloride polymer . the polymer materials may be in the form of molded articles of simple or complex shapes , films , sheets , laminates , or woven or nonwoven textiles . complex shapes are those three - dimensional articles or structures wherein the dimension along the &# 34 ; z &# 34 ; axis is greater than or equal to 10 % of the dimension along either the &# 34 ; x &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; y &# 34 ; axis in the surface of the plane , such as , for example , motor vehicle bumpers and fenders . in one embodiment at least one of the polymer surfaces of the article treated according to this invention is coated with a paint composition . typical paint compositions include acrylic enamel compositions comprising an alkyl acrylate polymer and a pigment and polyester based paint compositions containing a pigment . such paint compositions are commercially available . the painted articles of this invention exhibit good adhesion and permanence of adhesion between the paint composition and the treated surface of the article . over extended periods of time of normal use , the painted surface retains its initial durability and is not degraded or modified by the plasma gas mixture treated polymer surface . examples of suitable paint compositions include industrial refinishing spray paint acrylic enamel &# 34 ; sprayon ,&# 34 ; 01510 osha blue , 01800 osha white and 01770 osha gloss black , all available from sprayon products industrial supply , division of sherwin - williams company . conventional additives may be blended with the polymers used to produce the articles which can be treated according to this invention . such additives include stabilizers , antioxidants , antislip agents , flame retardants , lubricants , fillers , coloring agents , antistatic agents and antisoiling agents . the following examples are illustrative of this invention and are not meant as a limitation of the invention disclosed and claimed herein . the mass flow controllers used in these examples were not calibrated specifically for either n 2 o or co 2 . flow rates were calculated based on the specific heats of the respective gases . the accuracy of the mass flow controllers in these cases is ± 5 %. flexible pvc continuous film samples 0 . 020 &# 34 ; thick and 36 &# 34 ; wide from davidson rubber were treated in a plasma science ps0500 gas plasma reactor using the gas matrices shown in table 1 : table 1______________________________________ flow rate power pressure timegas ( sccm *) ( watts ) ( torr ) ( minutes ) ______________________________________n . sub . 2 o 320 500 0 . 250 6argon ( step 1 ) 80 500 0 . 125 7n . sub . 2 o ( step 2 ) 320 500 0 . 250 6n . sub . 2 o / co . sub . 2 200 / 200 500 0 . 250 6co . sub . 2 320 500 0 . 250 6______________________________________ * sccm = standard cc . sup . 3 / min . table 1a______________________________________ surface energy ( dynes / cm ) time ar ( hours ) n . sub . 2 o n . sub . 2 o n . sub . 2 o / co . sub . 2 co . sub . 2______________________________________as treated 73 73 73 321 73 73 73 -- 2 70 70 733 70 70 734 70 70 735 70 70 736 66 66 737 66 66 738 66 62 -- 9 66 58 -- 23 42 38 -- 24 42 38 7325 42 38 -- 26 42 38 -- 27 38 38 -- 28 38 38 -- 29 38 38 -- 48 -- -- 73168 -- -- 73336 -- -- 73528 -- -- 73______________________________________ the above test results show that co 2 alone is totally ineffective in providing a high energy surface to the article and that n 2 o alone is unable to provide a long lasting benefit . electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis ( esca ) data was obtained on the untreated pvc samples and on the 50 / 50 ratio , n 2 o / co 2 gas mixture - plasma treated pvc samples . the results are set forth in table 1b below : table 1b______________________________________ p c1 c cd o ba zn n______________________________________untreated 0 . 4 11 . 0 79 . 0 0 . 8 9 . 2 0 . 2 0 . 2 -- pvcn . sub . 2 o / co . sub . 2 0 . 5 4 . 1 77 . 0 0 . 2 18 . 0 -- -- 0 . 8treated pvc______________________________________ these results indicate that plasma n 2 o / co 2 gas mixture treatment has modified the sample surface at least by removing chlorine from the surface and incorporating oxygen moieties into the surface . the same untreated pvc film as used in example 1 was cut into 1 × 2 inch strips by 36 &# 34 ; ( 0 . 020 &# 34 ; thick ) and plasma treated with a 50 / 50 molar ratio of n 2 o / co 2 . the amount of gas was varied to effect chamber pressure but ratio of the gas mixture was held constant at 50 / 50 molar in 5 different runs of 2 strips per run as set forth in table 2 : table 2______________________________________ power pressure timerun no . ( watts ) ( torr ) ( minutes ) ______________________________________1 100 0 . 250 3 . 52 500 0 . 250 6 . 03 500 0 . 250 1 . 04 300 0 . 400 6 . 05 300 0 . 100 6 . 0______________________________________ after the plasma treatment , the samples were separated into two sets . the first set of samples were bonded immediately using 3m &# 39 ; s 2216 epoxy adhesive and cure baked in accordance with the manufacturer &# 39 ; s recommendations . the second set was bonded 120 days after the plasma treatment . the results are shown in table 2a : table 2a______________________________________run no . same day aged 120 days______________________________________1 cohesive failure adhesive failure2 cohesive failure cohesive failure3 cohesive failure adhesive failure4 cohesive failure cohesive failure5 cohesive failure cohesive failure______________________________________ black , blow - molded bottles , produced from fina 7251 blow molding grade propylene - ethylene copolymer pigmented with 6 weight % black color concentrate , were treated in ps0500 gas plasma reactor using various gas plasma matices to investigate the enhancement of acrylic decorative ink adhesion as set forth in table 3 below : table 3______________________________________ power pressure timerun no . gas ( watts ) ( torr ) ( seconds ) ______________________________________1 n . sub . 2 o 200 400 602 o . sub . 2 200 400 303 o . sub . 2 / cf . sub . 4 200 400 304 air 200 400 305 argon 200 400 306 n . sub . 2 o / co . sub . 2 * 200 400 30______________________________________ * 50 / 50 mol ratio * 50 / 50 mol ratio the improvement in adhesion was determined according to the astm d 3359 - b tape pull test using 3m 810 , 616 , and 600 tapes on cross hatched specimens . the results are set forth in table 3a below : table 3a______________________________________ run no . results______________________________________ 1 20 % pass 2 70 % pass 3 50 % pass 4 0 % pass 5 10 % pass 6 100 % pass______________________________________ the above results show the unexpected and superior performance of the n 2 o / co 2 gas plasma . to determine the sensitivity of the n 2 o and co 2 alone and mixtures thereof at different concentrations , nonwoven fabric as described herein before was examined at 150 watts and 0 , 150 torr . the results are shown in fig1 . the expression &# 34 ; consisting essentially of &# 34 ; as used in this specification excludes unspecified ingredients which affect the basic and novel characteristics of the claimed invention . other features , advantages and embodiments of the invention disclosed herein will be readily apparent to those exercising ordinary skill after reading the foregoing disclosures . in this regard , while specific embodiments of the invention have been described in considerable detail , variations and modifications of these embodiments can be effected without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as described and claimed .
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fig1 shows a sectional view of a brake device 1 for reducing the speed of a brake body 2 , which in the present embodiment is formed by a rotating brake disk . mutually opposite brake elements 3 and 4 are pressed onto the brake disk , the right brake element 3 in the image plane being arranged in a stationary manner . the left brake element 4 in the image plane can be shifted in the axial direction of the brake device 1 . the brake elements 3 and 4 are altogether retained or mounted on a brake caliper 5 , overlapping the brake body 2 . the brake device 1 comprises a housing 6 , connected to the brake caliper 5 . in the housing 6 a conversion means 7 is provided on the one hand and a rotary impact mechanism 8 on the other hand . the rotary impact mechanism 8 is driven by a brake drive shaft 9 , which , in turns is driven by a motor 10 which is connected to the housing 6 . the rotational axis d of the brake drive shaft 9 forms the longitudinal axis of the brake device 1 . the brake drive shaft 9 is surrounded by a helical spring 11 , which , on the one hand , takes support on the end face of the motor 10 facing the housing 6 and , on the other hand , presses an impact armature 12 of the rotary impact mechanism 8 against a driving wheel 13 of the rotary impact mechanism 8 . the brake drive shaft 9 , the impact armature 12 and the driving wheel 13 are also shown in fig2 . it can be seen that the impact armature 12 comprises drivers 14 in the form of diametrically arranged cams , projecting in the axial direction , which engage with drivers 15 at the end face of the driving wheel 13 , if the impact armature 12 is forced against the driving wheel 13 by the helical spring 11 . a driving pin 16 constitutes a further important component , projecting radially inwardly from the impact armature 12 and , in the installed position , engaging with a helical control groove 17 . in fig1 the drivers 14 and 15 are in mutual engagement , the helical spring 11 forcing the impact armature 12 into the direction towards the driving wheel . due to the configuration of the control groove 17 , the impact armature 12 is in its extreme position , as it were , and has been shifted as far to the right as possible in the image plane of fig1 . if the motor 10 puts the brake drive shaft 9 into rotation , the impact armature 12 is initially moved synchronously with the driving wheel 13 until the latter comes to a rest when the brake element 4 abuts against the brake body 2 . at this moment the further rotation of the brake drive shaft 9 causes the drivers 14 of the impact armature to disengage in that the driving pin 16 in the control groove 17 is shifted to the back , i . e . to the left in the image plane , against the elastic force of the helical spring 11 . this causes the disengagement between the drivers 14 and 15 and the drivers 14 of the impact armature 12 to be transferred in order to be rotated further by 180 ° and simultaneously to be pressed once again into the direction towards the driving wheel 13 by the elastic force of the helical spring 11 . the drivers 14 of the impact armature impact abruptly on the corresponding drivers 15 of the driving wheel 13 , so that the latter is rotated a little further . this process is repeated several times until the driving wheel 13 comes to a standstill . the driving wheel 13 forms an integral part of a threaded spindle 18 , which in the present embodiment is configured as a hollow spindle . the threaded spindle 18 has an external thread and engages with a threaded cup 19 , surrounding the threaded spindle 18 . the threaded cup 19 is guided inside the housing 6 and is protected against axial twisting , so that the threaded cup 19 exclusively performs an axial movement induced by the rotation of the threaded spindle 18 . this axial movement is used to displace the brake element 4 from a free - wheeling position into the braking position shown in fig1 . a braking force is applied in this case which is absorbed by an axial bearing 20 provided between an abutment shoulder of the housing 6 and the driving wheel 13 . in the present embodiment , the axial bearing 20 is situated outside the inner region claimed by the driving pins 14 and 15 , surrounding the region of the driving pins 14 and 15 in an annular fashion , as it were . the driving pins 14 and 15 are configured in such a manner that the brake device 1 functions even if the rotational direction of the brake drive shaft 9 is reversed , so that the brake element 4 can be lifted off the brake body 2 after only a few rotations of the threaded spindle 18 .
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modern breathing problems include breathing while awake , snoring , and sinus problems . my nasal insert relates more to the first two . more specifically , my nasal insert supports the specific area of tissue or cartilage that closes the nose . the airways ( 11 and 12 in fig . 2b ) are visibly narrow . my nasal insert supports the nose open at its most narrow and most collapsible area : the nose &# 39 ; s limen nasi ridges ( 13 and 14 in fig2 b , and 13 in fig2 a ). the original function of the limen nasi ridges might well have been to seal the nose ( from dust storms or water when swimming ) by tensing one &# 39 ; s nasal muscles . modern humans rarely have a need for this function . nowadays weakened nasal cartilage , like from injury or cosmetic surgery , appears to allow these ridges to close the nasal airway during normal breathing . also , during sleep , relaxed nasal muscles and mucus - clogged vestibule hairs appear to allow these ridges to close the nasal airway . examine any anatomic illustration of the lateral nasal wall , behind the conchae •. one can see the limen nasi ridges are the only protrusions that obstruct nasal air flow . the least invasive way to improve nasal breathing , except some sinus problems , appears to be to support just the limen nasi ridges from narrowing the airway ; and / or virtually closing the nose . one embodiment of my nasal insert is shown in fig1 a . the insert has a top ( 1 a ) and a bottom ( 2 a ) bridge . each bridge has a pair of opposite side edges . a pair of top legs ( right : 3 a , and left : 4 a ) are fixedly and rearwardly attached to a corresponding opposite side edge of the top bridge . a pair of bottom legs ( right : 5 a , and left : 6 a ) are fixedly and rearwardly attached to a corresponding opposite side edge of the bottom bridge . the insert has catches ( 7 a and 8 a ) protruding centrally and positioned near mid - length of each bottom leg . the insert has a pair of ledges ( 9 a and 10 a ). each ledge is fixedly attached on the rearward end of a corresponding top and bottom leg ( attached downwardly from a top leg and upwardly from a bottom leg ). the ledges support the bridge / leg assemblies vertically apart . the frontward ledge edges protrude slightly peripherally . this embodiment can be a one - size - fits - all version . the catches in this embodiment appear as kinks in the wire - like legs . the bridge / leg connection is quite angular . the central surface of the catches and the peripheral surface of the ledges are smooth for comfort , when worn . in this embodiment the top of the bridge ( 1 a ) is narrower than the bottom bridge ( 2 a ). the embodiment of fig1 a is shown in a wearer in same perspective view in fig1 b , and in right - side / lateral view in fig4 . the bridges ( 1 a and 2 a ) externally transcend / position inferior to the wearer &# 39 ; s columella on a one - size version , the top and bottom bridges may extend at different lengths away from the columella , depending on the individual wearer . the height from the frontward ends of respective top and bottom legs is nearly as tall as the nare entrances . the bottom legs near the bottom bridge ( 2 a ) can rest on the lip portion of the external nares . it is most comfortable when the bridge does not touch the wearer &# 39 ; s columella . the embodiment of fig1 a is shown in a wearer , front / anterior view , in fig5 . the bottom bridge is notated ( 2 a ). the ledges ( 9 a and 10 a ) visibly narrow rearwardly ( rear faces up in this figure ) to tailor with the slope of a wearer &# 39 ; s lateral nasal walls . the embodiment of fig1 a is shown in detail in a wearer , inferior view , in fig6 . the bridges ( 1 a and 2 a ) cross between the nares , transcending the columella . the distance between the bridges ( and the distance between the frontward ends of respective top and bottom legs ) is substantially the anteroposterior ( top to bottom ) length of an external nare opening . the catches ( 7 a and 8 a ) catch behind ( the interior side of ) the feet of the columella . the ledges ( 9 a and 10 a ) catch behind / interior - to the limen nasi ridges . the rearward ( ledge ) end of the embodiment &# 39 ; s legs have been spread slightly peripherally for pictorial clarity in this fig6 . the effect of this spreading extra - enlarges the airway . spreading the legs may be preferred by sinus , allergy , cold sufferers and those with large nares . the ledges pressing against the angled lateral nasal walls prompts the insert outward , which keeps the catches against the interior side of the feet of the columella . the catches and ledges keep the insert in the nose . the space between respective top and bottom legs is substantially open to allow for breathing . the airway ( 11 and 12 ) is maximally between the top and bottom legs . both the ledges , and the rearward portion of the legs , touch and support , or lift , the ridges to keep the airway open . there is minimal nasal distortion , and the nasal insert is extra - secured in the nose , when the ledges catch behind / interior - to , as compared to on , the ridges . the ledges lift the ridges by way of lateral support of the leg / bridge assemblies . the separation ( heighth ) between the the frontward portions of respective top and bottom legs keeps the rearward portions of the legs inside the nose from shifting position and being inserted improperly . the embodiment can be wiggled into the nose and can be pulled straight out . this embodiment can , but is not limited to , be made with a single gold - plated 0 . 020 gauge . spring steel wire , with wire ends welded together , and silicone - covered ledges . if fabricated as such , my insert can weigh less than one gram . spring steel can allow the legs to be spread , if desired , by hand or pliers . another embodiment of my nasal insert is shown in fig3 . ledges ( 9 b and 10 b ) are peripherally bulbous , and can be positioned interior - to the limen nasi ridges , similar to the previous embodiment . bulbous catches ( 7 b and 8 b ) rest against the interior portion of the feet of the columella , like the previous embodiment . when worn , bulbous catches provide a more secure or varied hold , but they may also be harder to insert catches should not extend much below the bottom legs or they could inadvertently catch the sensitive floor of the sills . another embodiment of my nasal insert is shown in fig7 . the legs are bent peripherally behind the catches ( 7 c and 8 c ) and the ledges ( 9 c and 10 c ) are bent back medially . when worn , the ledges are flat so they can fit against the limen nasi ridges . this extensively lifts the ridges , providing for major airways , but also distorts the external shape of the nose , while worn . many prior art nasal inserts lift the ridges nonspecifically , but in a similar manner . in this embodiment , the bridge and legs round into each other ( not notated ). when worn , this provides for a rounder appearance than the angular bridge / leg connections shown in other figures . most figures have been drawn with angular bridge / leg connections for visual clarity . another embodiment of my nasal insert is shown in fig8 . the ledges ( 9 d and 10 d ) stand above the bottom legs ( 5 d and 6 d ). extra material extends between the bridges ( 1 d and 2 d ) and between the legs , in front of the catches ( 7 d and 8 d ), for a varied cosmetic appearance . the top legs ( 3 d and 4 d ) are phantom rearward of the catches . another embodiment of my nasal insert is shown in fig9 . the legs ( 3 e , 5 e , and 4 e , 6 e ) are rounded vertically ( up / down ) between the catches ( 7 e and 8 e ) and ledges ( 9 e and 10 e ). this rounding may provide for a larger airway between , and less so above and below , the legs . this edge roundness can only lift , not catch behind , the straight limen nasi ridges . the curvatures ( 17 e and 18 e ) are only cosmetic variations of my insert . another embodiment of my nasal insert is shown in fig1 . the legs terminate rearward at the catches ( 7 f and 8 f ). the peripheral sides of the legs support prior art adhesive ( 26 ). the adhesive is of a type to adhere to prior art tubing . prior art tubing ( 20 ) with sculpted rings ( 21 ) act as continued legs and ledges respectively . only right - hand - side tubing , ring and adhesive are notated . small diameter tubing may also allow room air in the nare airway external and medial to the tubing . other similar embodiments of my nasal insert ( not shown ) may be attached to prior art tubing in a variety of prior art ways . these ways include , but are not limited to , adhesive , knobs , wire kinks , or loops . another embodiment of my nasal insert is shown in fig1 . the ledges ( 9 g and 10 g ) support the insert in the nose without the catches . this embodiment is very easy to insert . however , this insert may not stay positioned in some wearers , like those with plentiful vestibule hair . another embodiment of my nasal insert is shown in fig1 . it does not have ledges or legs rearward of the catches . the bottom legs ( 5 h and 6 h ), frontward of the catches are notated . in this embodiment , the legs do not extend behind the catches . the catches ( 7 h and 8 h ) support the insert in the nares . the purpose of this embodiment may be cosmetic ( to appear as two nose rings ), or used in a yet unspecified manner . the embodiments shown in fig1 a , 3 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , and 12 are all drawn to the same scale and same side perspective view . fig1 a , and fig1 a shown in a wearer in fig4 and 5 , are all drawn in the same scale to each other , and to a human nose . all measures of the embodiment in fig1 a , 4 , and 5 may be calculated from drawing fig4 and 5 . in example , if the human nose in fig4 were to have a nosetip - to - ala measurement of 38 mm , then the bottom bridge width would be 17 mm , because { a measure =[( 38 mm tip to ala )÷( mm tip to ala in drawing )]×( mm of the measure in drawing )}. all measures , induding diameters , are proportional thereon . because fig3 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , and 12 are drawn to the same scale as fig1 a , they may be reconstructed into a workable device , by one skilled in the art , from the drawings and specification . embodiments of my nasal insert , like a wearer &# 39 ; s nose , are majorly symmetrical . that is : right - hand - side parts are majorly the same as left - hand - side parts , except opposite hand . rigid , thick , or heavy materials may be used , but to no advantage . resilient , thin , lightweight materials may ease insertion , provide comfort , and be barely visible . materials that may be used to form the bridge and legs include but are not limited to nylon , titanium , or spring steel with gold or silver plating . catches and ledges may be made of similar materials , or more flexible materials including , but not limited to , silicone or rubber . wearers may include any living creature with a pair of feet of the columella or a pair of limen nasi ridges . the interior side of the entire post of the columella may seem to be available to lock a catch , but catching the post has big disadvantages : for one , the post &# 39 ; s width is quite variant from person to person , so any catch behind or on the post may squeeze the septum , causing discomfort . also there is no anteroposterior ( lip - to nosetip ) restriction on the post that would keep an insert from shifting in the nose . both of these are disadvantages of the breathe relief nasal ring ( discussed at the end of background of the invention ). none of the embodiments of my inserts need to catch the post of the columella or touch or press against the septum . my nasal insert stays positioned in a wearer &# 39 ; s nose because the catches can rest behind the feet of the columella and / or the ledges can rest behind the limen nasi ridges . the catches are each of a size and shape to rest against the internal side of a corresponding foot of the feet of the columella . the top / bottom bridges are of a size and shape to transcend the columella / feet of the columella respectively . the height between the frontward portions of the legs is vertically tall for stability : to keep the catches and ledges in place . the frontward portion of the top / bottom legs rearwardly fixedly attach to the respective top / bottom bridge &# 39 ; s opposite side edges . the legs are elongated members of a size and shape to substantially insert their rearward ends into the wearer &# 39 ; s nares . the legs fixedly support the catches and ledges . the area between top and bottom legs , between the catches and the ledges , is open to allow for a large airway . the ledges are of a size and shape to receive internal side of the wearer &# 39 ; s limen nasi ridges . specific embodiments may have ledges , or catches , or both . some embodiments can use prior art nasal tubing and related apparatus to provide the bridge , the legs , the ledges , or combination thereof . the stabalizing height between the frontward portions of respective top and bottom legs is unique to my nasal insert : catches that only rest behind / internal - to the feet of the columella are unique to my nasal insert . the ledges that catch behind / internal - to the limen nasi ridges are also unique to my nasal insert .
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as required , detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein ; however , it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention which may be embodied in various forms . therefore , specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting , but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed structure . the reference numeral 1 generally indicates a submersible lamp assembly embodying the present invention . as shown , the lamp assembly 1 includes a substantially rigid base member 3 , an elastomeric lens base 5 , and a lens body 7 . the lens body 7 , lens base 5 , and base member 3 are connected together by a retaining means in such a manner , described below , to provide a watertight seal between the lens base 5 and lens body 7 to prevent entrance of moisture within the enclosure or inner cavity 8 of the lamp assembly 1 . in the illustrated example , the lamp assembly 1 is affixed to a mounting bracket 11 which is connectible to a structure such as an associated vehicular structure 13 . as shown in fig1 the mounting bracket 11 may be adapted to retain a vehicular license plate 15 . although the lamp assembly 1 is shown mounted on an associated vehicular structure , the lamp assembly 1 could be used whenever a fluid - tight lamp assembly is desired . the base member 3 includes a plate member 4 , with a web portion 22 , and a peripheral flange 21 extending from an outer extremity 24 thereof terminating in a flange end shoulder 21 &# 39 ; providing an interior flange surface 24 &# 39 ;. the web 22 and flange 21 define an interior cavity 23 for receipt of the lens base 5 as described below . slots 27 extend through the web portion 22 , and have shoulders 29 extending therealong for receipt of fasteners , such as bolts 31 or the like , to secure the lamp assembly 1 to the mounting bracket 11 . the slots 27 permit universal mounting and allow the bolts 31 to be moved inwardly and outwardly relative to the base member center to connect to mounting brackets of various sizes and shapes . bores 32 , such as having threaded interior walls , extend through the base member 3 adjacent the outer extremity 24 for a purpose later described . preferably , the base member 3 is fabricated of a rigid or semi - rigid material such as fiber reinforced plastic for rigidity , durability and lightness in weight . the lens base 5 is generally planar and includes opposite first and second surfaces 35 and 37 connected by peripheral side walls 33 . the lens base 5 fits with the interior cavity 23 of the base member 3 with the first surface 35 engaging the web portion 22 of the base plate member 4 such that base member plate 4 substantially provides a rigid or semi - rigid backing for the lens base 5 . preferably , the lens base 5 is of such a size commensurate with the base member 3 to be received within base member interior cavity 23 with the lens base side walls 33 snugly contacting the inner surface 24 &# 39 ; of the flanges 21 . preferably , the lens base 5 is of a thickness greater than the height of the flange 21 above the web portion 22 so that , when the lens base 5 is received within the cavity 23 , the second surface 37 extends slightly outwardly of the flange end shoulder 21 &# 39 ;. a sealing means extends between the lens base 5 and the lens body 7 and , in the illustrated example , includes a continuous groove 43 extending through the second surface 37 and about a peripheral portion 44 . the groove 43 forms a boundary for an inner area 45 of the lens base 5 . the groove 43 includes inner and outer wall portions 25 and 26 and terminates intermediately of the lens base first surface 35 and second surface 37 to provide a bottom portion 46 . the groove wall portions 25 and 26 extend substantially normal to the lens base second surface 37 . outwardly of the lens base inner area 45 , apertures 47 extend through the lens base 5 and are positioned in alignment with the threaded bores 32 . the lens base 5 contains a means to suspend an illumination means such as incandescent light bulbs 55 and 57 thereon . the suspension means includes spaced , resilient nipples or protrusions 49 which extend outwardly from land portions 59 and 61 on the lens base inner area 45 . the protrusions 49 suspend a light bulb mounting member 51 therebetween and in spaced relation from lens base second surface 37 . in the illustrated example , sockets 53 receive the individual light bulb units 55 and 57 and are mounted upon the mounting member 51 . the protrusions 49 are substantially conical in shape and have basal annular shoulders 65 extending radially outwardly and providing an annular recess 66 between the shoulder 65 and the respective land portion 59 or 61 . in the illustrated example , the mounting member 51 includes a bar having an interior surface 60 , and spaced apertures , 67 and 69 , aligned to receive the nipples or protrusions 49 so that the inner surface 60 engages the land portions 59 and 61 . the mounting member 51 is urged toward the lens base 5 until the area surrounding the aperture 67 and 69 snaps past the shoulders 65 and into the respective recesses 66 whereby the shoulders 65 hold the mounting member 51 onto the lens base 5 . suitable electrical wiring 73 is provided for the bulb units 55 and 57 to complete a circuit with a power source such as a car battery ( not shown ). the wiring 73 is threaded through apertures 75 extended through the lens base 5 in the inner area 43 . to prevent entrance of moisture , the apertures 75 have an area or diameter which is smaller than the thickness or diameter of a wire 77 extending therethrough . the elastomeric material comprising the lens base expands to allow the wires 77 therethrough , but because of the resilient nature of the material , will snugly and interferingly engage the outer surface of the associated wires 77 . communication between the lens base 5 and the wiring 73 is sealed , thereby assuring that the lamp assembly 1 is weathertight and submersible . preferably , the elastomeric material of the lens base 5 is rubber - like to be soft yet sufficiently resilient to rebound and conform well to its original shape . for example , a material such as ethylylene propylene , or epdm , having a durometer reading of between 40 and 50 is suitable . with this material , it has been found that the seal between the wires 77 and the lens base material surrounding the apertures 75 is weathertight if the apertures 75 are approximately 1 / 16 inch in diameter and the wires 77 are approximately 0 . 093 inches in diameter . the lens body 7 has opposite side wall members 83 , opposite end wall members 84 , a face portion 85 and a surrounding skirt 87 which terminates in an end edge 88 . the skirt 87 extends outwardly from the lens wall members 83 and 84 adjacent a peripheral margin or base portion 89 thereof . the lens body 7 further includes an inner opening 97 which is defined by inner surfaces of wall members 83 and 84 and face 85 . the lens skirt 87 includes apertures 100 which are formed in recessed bosses 102 , positioned around the lens 7 , and are aligned with the apertures 47 in lens base 5 and the threaded bores 32 in the base plate 3 . the lens face 85 may be of any suitable design such that the lamp assembly could function as any desired lamp assembly . extending from the lens body base portion 89 is a sealing means such as continuous lip portion 91 , fig4 including a web portion 96 which is adapted to be received within the lens base groove 43 . the lip portion 91 has inner and outer wall surfaces 92 and 93 which snugly and sealably engage the respective groove wall portions 25 and 26 . in the illustrated example , the lip portion 91 forms an extension of the side and end wall members 83 and 84 ; however , the lip portion 91 may be formed at any suitable location in the base portion 89 provided that alignment with the groove 43 is maintained . the ridge 91 , fig4 includes a beveled end 95 at an end edge 94 whereby the end 95 engages groove bottom 46 . preferably , the beveled end 95 is narrower in width than the lens base groove 43 whereas the lip web portion 96 is preferably wider than the groove 43 . in assembling the vehicular lamp assembly 1 , the base plate 4 is secured to the associated mounting bracket 11 . the lens base 5 is inserted into the base member cavity 23 and the associated wires 77 threaded through the apertures 107 in the base member 3 . the lens body 7 is thereafter placed over the lens base 5 so that the lip portion 91 is received in the groove 43 . in doing so , the beveled end 95 is urged into the groove 43 . as the lens body 7 is further pushed towards the lens base 5 , the groove 43 expands to accept the lip portion 91 , thereby producing a tight seal therebetween . engagement means , such as bolts 109 or the like having a shank 111 and head 110 are operably positioned such that shanks 111 extend through the aligned apertures 100 in the lens body 7 and the apertures 47 in the lens base 5 , and into the threaded bores 32 in the base plate 3 . as the bolts 109 are rotated to progress the bolts into the bores 32 , the head portions thereof 110 engage the bosses 102 to pull the lens body 7 to the lens base 5 and snugly engage the lip portion 91 within the groove 43 . finally , the beveled end 95 engages groove bottom 46 to perfect the seal . to inhibit overtightening and possible damage to the seal , the lens base second surface 37 is engaged by the lens skirt 87 prior to the skirt end edge 88 contacting the base plate flange shoulder 21 &# 39 ;. because of the resilient material of the lens base 5 , the lens base 5 slightly compresses until the skirt end edge 88 contacts the base plate flange shoulder 21 &# 39 ;. further excessive deformation of the lens base , and possible seal damage , is arrested by the end edge 88 abutting the flange shoulder 21 &# 39 ;. when this occurs , the lip portion 91 has fully bottomed within the groove 43 with the beveled end 95 fully contacting the groove bottom 46 . since the groove 43 is narrower in width than lip portion 91 , the groove wall portions 25 and 26 sealingly grip the surfaces of the lip portion 91 to provide a seal for the inner cavity 8 of the lamp assembly 1 and protect the light bulbs 55 and 57 and the lens base inner area 45 from moisture . when desired to replace a bulb unit , it is only necessary to loosen the bolts 109 and remove the lens body 7 from the lens base 5 . thereafter , the bulb units can be replaced in the normal manner and the lens body 7 reinstalled onto the lens base 5 . it is noted that the lens base 5 is of such construction that the removal and reinstallation of the lens body 7 thereon in no way inhibits the sealable nature of the connection between the lip 91 and groove 43 . it is to be understood that while certain embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described herein , it is not to be limited to the specific forms or arrangement of parts described and shown .
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referring now to the drawings , fig1 illustrates an environment in which a preferred embodiment of the present invention operates . a computer platform 100 includes hardware units 102 , including one or more central processing units ( cpu ) 104 , a random access memory ( ram ) 106 , and an input / output ( i / o ) interface 108 . the computer platform 100 runs with an operating system 110 , and may include micro instruction code 112 . a data base management system 114 may be part of the micro instruction code 112 or an application program to be executed via the operating system . historical data may be stored in any kind of local or remote data storage 116 . remote data storage may be accessible through modems and communication lines ( not shown ). the data may be collected from various sources and media such as written information , experts &# 39 ; evaluations , or in - house historical data . various peripheral units 118 such as terminals , disks , or scanners may be connected to the computer platform 100 for inputting the data . the computer platform 100 may be a server terminal connected to multiple clients &# 39 ; cpus . a user or an actor wishing to process the method of the invention may access the system through the i / o interface 108 . the i / o interface circuit may be as well a remote terminal with an internet - like connection . output results may be available on peripheral units 118 or as one or more data files in the data storage 116 or on a printer device 120 . referring to fig2 , the overall process 200 of the invention is detailed for a preferred application . for a better understanding of the process , reference is also made to fig3 which is an illustration in the form of database tables of the preferred process . in a first step 202 of fig2 and associated table 302 of fig3 , the information relative to a stock option ( denoted ‘ a ’ in fig3 ) is collected at regular intervals ( column ‘ snapshot ’ in fig3 ). the interval in the present example is 5 minutes . for clarity of the description , the process is described for only one stock option but it will be obvious to those of skill in the art that it applies to a stock option portfolio comprising many stock options . preferably the information collected is the stock option price ( column ‘ current price ’ of fig3 ) at the current snapshot , although alternatively the data collected may be representative of the evolution of a stock option parameter other than the price of the stock option . the time period for data collection may be sufficiently long to reveal changes of trend in , for example , the price evolution , such as several weeks or months . the present application has been elaborated for a one - year data collection time period . in step 204 , the stock option price is aggregated by day into a standard description which reflects the price variation within the day . the description preferably comprises the values of the open price , the close price , the low price during the day and the high price during the day . it may also includes other values such as the mean price . table 304 illustrates the aggregation operation for stock ‘ a ’ over 3 days . on the first line containing data in table 304 , the four right columns contain the standard description values for stock ‘ a ’ ( day open price , day close price , day low price , day high price ) for a first day ( e . g ., 1st jan . 2000 ). similarly , on the second line , the standard description values of stock ‘ a ’ are stored on the last right columns for a second day ( e . g ., 2nd jan . 2000 ). step 206 is the operation which provides the by - day standard description of each stock by a candlestick pattern . as can be seen on table 306 , a code ‘ kl ’ ( denoted ‘ keyline ’ on the right column of table 306 ) is attributed to each standard description of stock option ‘ a ’. as it will be fully explained later with reference to fig4 , the code ‘ kl ’ is chosen from a predetermined candlestick typology including ‘ well - known ’ candlestick patterns and specific ones . the by - day standard description of stock option ‘ a ’ for , e . g ., jan . 1st , 2000 is associated with a ‘ kl1 ’ code which corresponds to the black candlestick pattern illustrated on left side under table 306 . the ‘ kl1 ’ code is a pattern for which the close price is lower than the open price and for which the close price corresponds to the low price and the open price corresponds to the high price . similarly , the by - day standard description of stock option ‘ a ’ in table 306 for jan . 2nd , 2000 is associated with a ‘ kl3 ’ code which corresponds to the second candlestick pattern illustrated on the left side under table 306 . the ‘ kl3 ’ code is a pattern for which the close price is lower than the open price , with the close price equal to the low price , while a high price is higher than the open price ( the shaven bottom in the common candlestick terminology ). finally , third day of stock option ‘ a ’ is exemplified with a ‘ kl8 ’ candlestick code ( the white candlestick in the common candlestick terminology ). step 208 is the operation which provides positioning of the current day standard description of each stock against the previous day standard description . as can be seen in table 308 , fig3 , a code ‘ kd ’ ( denoted ‘ keydelt ’ on the right column of table 308 ) is attributed to each standard description of stock option ‘ a ’. as it will be fully explained later with reference to fig5 , the code ‘ kd ’ is chosen from a typology grouping the different relative positions of a current day versus a previous day . the by - day standard description of stock option ‘ a ’ for the jan . 2nd , 2000 example is associated with a ‘ kd + 2 ’ code which reflects the fact that the average price is significantly higher than the average price of the previous day , jan . 1st 2000 . similarly , the by - day standard description of stock option ‘ a ’ for the jan . 3rd , 2000 example is associated with a ‘ kd + 1 ’ code which reflects the fact that the average price is a little bit higher than the average price of the previous day , jan . 2nd , 2000 . going to step 210 , each by - day standard description of stock ‘ a ’ is resumed by a unique value which may be for example computed as being the price average or the half price between open and close prices . the resumed value is useful as will be explained later with reference to fig6 to detect the type of trend of the price evolution for each day . the third column of table 310 , fig3 , illustrates the type of trend for stock option ‘ a ’ over three days . for example , on jan . 1st , 2000 the price evolution leads to a ‘ beg_up ’ mark which points to a beginning of a rising trend for the next days . on the second line , the price evolution of stock option ‘ a ’ during jan . 2nd , 2000 is marked as an ‘ up ’ type evolution . next , the indicators created in steps 206 , 208 and 210 are operated on in step 212 by a common exploratory data analysis method to obtain a set of characteristics of the different kinds of marks . the characteristics that issue from step 212 may be available to the user either on a display unit 118 or as a data file 116 or on any output device such as a printer 120 . a person who is skilled in the art will readily understand that according to the analysis method , the characteristics issuing from step 212 may be available from a curve clustering to show which type of curve precedes a ‘ beg_up ’ or a ‘ beg_down ’ marked day , or may be available from candlestick associations to determine what groups of candlesticks are present before a ‘ beg_up ’ or a ‘ beg_down ’ marked day , or also may be available from other well - known data analysis methods . referring now to fig4 , a detailed flowchart of the process of step 206 is explained . from blocks 402 to 404 , the parameters open , close , low and high of the by - day standard description are converted into commonly used elements to construct the candlestick patterns and are generally called ‘ upper_shadow , lower_shadow , body and type ’. the body represents the range between the open and close price . the upper_shadow / lower_shadow represent the high / low price extremes for the day . the type may be white or black . a white body means that the close price is higher than the open price , while a black body means that the close price is lower than the open price . thus the relationship between the day &# 39 ; s open , high , low , and close price determine the look of the daily candlestick pattern . the body can be long or short and white or black . shadows can be long or short as well . thus , the day &# 39 ; s price of a stock option may be represented by a specific candlestick pattern . the illustrations below show a white body pattern in left and a black body pattern in right . next at block 406 , the body , the upper_shadow and the lower_shadow parameters are discretized . for example , the upper_shadow can be discretized into five values such as a first value when the upper_shadow is in the range of 0 to 5 % of the total length of the candlestick ( high - low ). a second value may correspond to a range of 5 to 45 %, a third value for a range of 45 to 55 %, a fourth value for a range of 55 to 95 % and a fifth value for the range of 95 to 100 %. however , this is only an example and any other discretization may be used . the discretization operation allows reduction of the potentially infinite number of possible candlestick descriptions previously available at step 404 to a finite number . step 408 comprises mapping the finite number of candlestick descriptions to a predetermined candlestick typology 410 wherein each pattern is represented by a keyline code ‘ kl ’. referring to fig5 , starting from the standard description at block 502 , characteristic values of the current day &# 39 ; s price evolution are computed at step 504 in order to accomplish the positioning operation of step 508 . in a preferred embodiment , three values are used . the first is the minimum price ‘ min ’ of the open and close price values . the second is the maximum price ‘ max ’ of the open and close price values . and the third value is the centre price ‘ centre ’ which is halfway between the open and close price values . obviously , a different number of characteristic values may be used depending on the accuracy required for the positioning typology as illustrated in block 510 . similar characteristic values are computed for the previous day in step 506 . as explained earlier , step 508 compares the current and previous set of characteristic values and maps the comparison to a predetermined comparison typology having keydelt codes ‘ kd ’ representing the relative positioning . for example , the ‘ kd - 3 ’ keydelt code is assigned when the maximum of the current day is less than the minimum of the previous day as shown in the second column from the left in block 510 . fig6 illustrates one preferred method of marking the price evolution curve with up an down indicators . starting from the standard description in block 602 , one characteristic value of the day &# 39 ; s price is computed . this value may be the centre value ‘ centre ’ already selected for the process of blocks 504 / 506 , or an average value or a median value or any other value suitable to be representative of one day &# 39 ; s price . each computed value is smoothed in step 604 regarding the previous and the next day computed values . in step 606 , a difference between the current day &# 39 ; s value and the previous day &# 39 ; s value is computed which may be expressed as an absolute term or as a relative one . the differences are discretized in step 608 , resulting in a limited number of values called ‘ key slope ’ hereinafter representing these differences . in the preferred embodiment , five values are used : the ‘ high decreasing ’, the ‘ medium decreasing ’, the ‘ flat ’, the ‘ medium increasing ’ and the ‘ high increasing ’. in step 610 , for each day , the number of each different key slope appearing over a time window of the next days is counted . if a short term view is explored , the window size is preferably seven days , for example , and if a long term view is explored , the window is preferably thirty days . it is to be understood that other day counting may be adapted to count the key slopes such as a simultaneous counting over several time windows . in step 612 , the result of the preceding count is used to mark each day as an ‘ up ’ or a ‘ down ’ or ‘ flat ’ day based on heuristic marking rules . for example , a day is marked as ‘ up ’ if in the count of the seven next days there is no decreasing key slope ( zero ‘ high decreasing ’ and zero ‘ medium decreasing ’), and at least four increasing key slopes ( either ‘ high increasing ’ or ‘ medium increasing ’) including at least one ‘ high increasing ’ key slope . step 614 determines which days among the marked days are to be marked as being a beginning up ‘ beg_up ’ or beginning down ‘ beg_down ’ day by applying heuristic marking rules in the same way as in previous step 612 . for example , a day is marked ‘ beg_down ’ if it is the first day of a marked ‘ down ’ series but also if no marked ‘ down ’ day appears in the previous seven days . it will be readily apparent to those of skill in the art that the marking of step 614 may be realised using any other method , such as a regression method . while the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to a preferred embodiment thereof , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention .
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a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to fig1 - 3 , which show a multi - bladed rotary cleaner 100 applicable to both dry and liquid toner imaging systems . for a general understanding of a printing machine in which the invention may be incorporated , reference will be made to fig5 which depicts schematically various components of an exemplary liquid electrophotographic system . fig6 depicts schematically an exemplary dry electrophotographic system to which the invention can be incorporated . while the rotary cleaner is well suited to these types of systems , it should become equally evident that the invention is well suited to other cleaning applications beyond the exemplary embodiments shown , such as offset presses and other graphic arts printing systems in general , and to other general applications in which residual materials on a surface need to be removed . referring back to fig1 - 3 , a cross - section of a molded , compliant multi - bladed cleaner 100 is shown having a plurality of blades 110 radiating from a base 120 , which is preferably cylindrical . rotary cleaner 100 is used to clean residuals from a surface , such as image bearing surface 200 . rotary cleaner 100 is suitable for installation onto a mandrel or other cylindrical mount , such as the shaft - driven mandrel 300 shown in fig3 which is operatively driven by a drive source 400 , which can be any conventional or subsequently developed drive source such as a d . c . motor or servo motor , connected to a shaft 310 of the mandrel through a conventional ( unshown ) linkage . the driving is preferably continuous during use , but may be indexed . for example , the rotary cleaner may be incrementally indexed after a predetermined number of images have been cleaned . in this exemplary embodiment of fig1 - 3 , rotary cleaner 100 has a length l that is preferably at least as long as the transverse width of the surface being cleaned . rotary cleaner 100 also has a predefined roll diameter d 1 , a plurality of radially projecting blades 110 spaced around the periphery of the blade cleaner at a preferably constant pitch ( substantially uniform blade spacing ) s , a blade thickness t , and a blade extension length e , which results in a blade cleaner having a total diameter d 2 . these variables are selected based on several criteria . the number of blades , the spacing , and the circumference d 2 are selected for a particular application based on many criteria , which can vary greatly depending on the particular application . some of these variables are inter - related and thus not completely arbitrary . for example , the number of blades is dependent on the selected circumference and spacing . conversely , once a desired number of blades is determined , the necessary circumference can be mathematically determined given a specified spacing . one factor in selecting the desirable number of blades is based on the expected life expectancy of the unit ( i . e ., printing machine ) and a desirable service interval . by increasing the number of blades , the life expectancy can be increased ( assuming a given wear rate per blade ) as a larger number of blades will decrease the total time that each blade will be in contact with the surface given a constant rotation speed . furthermore , the number of blades may be selected based on a desirable rotation rate and a selection of an adequate time to clean the blade surfaces before they again contact the image bearing surface during a subsequent rotation cycle . also , the number of blades may be determined mathematically based on a maximum design s diameter of a cleaner that can fit in a given space and a predetermined minimum spacing between blades . these are just examples of various criteria that may go into the selection of an appropriate number of blades . each vane or paddle 110 preferably represents a full width compliant blade ( i . e ., a blade that extends the full length of a surface to be cleaned , such as a photoreceptor 200 ). preferably , blades 110 are oriented in a skewed fashion similar to the spiral or slightly helical pattern shown in fig2 ( similar to that of a gravure roll ) so that only a portion of each blade is used at any one time during cleaning . a better illustration of an exemplary embodiment of the rotary cleaner 100 is shown in fig3 . in use , it is preferable for at least two blades 110 to contact the image bearer 200 at one time . that is , the interference between the image bearing surface and the multiple blades are adjusted so that at least one and preferably two ( or more depending on application ) blades are in contact with multiple blade contact , the likelihood of a damaged blade causing a streak defect is minimized . an optimum number of blades to contact has been found to be two to assure good cleaning and minimize drag on the image bearing surface . spacing s is selected based on several criteria , including material selection , modulus of the selected material , and extension length e , which are primary factors that determine deflection of individual blades 110 . spacing should not be so close that adjacent blades 110 contact one another during use . moreover , the spacing should be enough to allow a sufficient flow channel for removal of the wiped material which will become entrapped between adjacent blades so as to prevent clogging or choking off of flow out of the channel . further , spacing should be selected so that only a desired number of blades contact the surface at one time at a given section of the cleaner . various lab experiments have been conducted to verify the capability of the multi - blade cleaner 100 with imaging materials . cleaning was accomplished using the rotary blade cleaner shown in fig3 . blade cleaner 100 was made using a soft urethane . for use in removing liquid imaging toner and similar residuals , a preferred material was found to be a 70 shore a durometer urethane rubber having a young &# 39 ; s modulus of about 1000 psi . however , the invention is not limited to this material and other known , conventional or subsequently developed blade surface materials may be used or selected depending on the particular residuals or surface being cleaned . this exemplary blade cleaner 100 had a length l of about 38 mm ( 1 . 5 ″) for testing purposes but can be any suitable length , preferably a length that is the same as or longer than the surface to be cleaned , a diameter d of about 66 mm ( 2 . 6 ″) ( as shown in fig1 ), a blade spacing s of about 6 . 5 mm , a blade thickness t of about 2 mm ( as shown in fig1 ), and a blade extension length e of about 7 mm . with this dimensioning , the resultant rotary cleaner 100 had 30 blades 110 . however , this example is illustrative and not meant to be limiting . similar results can be achieved with altered variables . the material being removed by rotary cleaner 100 during initial testing was a 24 % solids cep ink cake spread onto a glass surface . the rotary cleaning blade 100 was manually engaged and slowly rotated . cleaning was found to be perfect , and the vanes / blades 110 were easily washed using isopar ™ by simply directing the washing fluid along and between the vanes 110 . a quick and easy clean wash of the vanes is important to assure that the blades are clean before they rotate back into the cleaning nip . it is contemplated that such cleaning can be achieved by a routine , periodic manual flushing using a squirt bottle with a cleaning fluid such as isopar or could be achieved with a mechanical washing station provided within the machine adjacent to rotary cleaner 100 . a suitable washing station could include a mechanical sprayer positioned to move along the cleaner 100 and spray a fluid into the vanes and channels therebetween to wash the residuals to a waste tank or other removal facility ( unshown ). the washing station may also include a damp cloth or sponge that wicks or otherwise remove the residuals from the surface of cleaner 100 . in the case of dry residuals , such as dry toner particles , the washing station may consist of a rotary brush , a vacuum source or air assist that cleans the residuals from the cleaner 100 without contacting the image bearing surface 200 . it has been found to be preferable to rotate the blades 110 of rotary cleaner 100 at a slow rate of speed , so that the cleaner slowly advances new clean blades continuously into a cleaning nip and carry the wiped residuals ( such as ink ) between the vanes to a suitable washing station ( unshown ). a suitable cleaner roll rpm depends on several parameters , such as the process speed of the xerographic device , the input residual mass density , the amount of residual mass on the cleaner roll that has to be cleaned , and the diameter of the cleaner roll . the diameter of the roll determines the number of cleaning blades . the dimensions of the blade , such as extension and thickness determine the normal cleaning force applied to remove the toner or ink . thus , there are a number of parameters that affect cleaner roll rpm . the inventive rotary cleaner is particularly suited for use in cleaning residual printing materials , such as dry toner , diluted ink and high solids content ink , in a xerographic or other printing or copying device . such devices operate at one or more predefined process speeds . additional testing was conducted to determine necessary rotary cleaner speeds to obtain adequate cleaning of such devices that operate at a given process speed . the data in fig4 shows that the inventive rotary cleaner 100 can operate at a very low rpm compared to conventional brush cleaners , which typically operate at between 300 to 1000 rpm . this slower rotation allows ample time to clean the blades and eliminate toner or ink emissions from the cleaner . studies with both toner and ink systems show that for good , reliable cleaning , the minimum number of blades contacting the image should be two . the second blade serves as a backup blade in case the first blade fails . for example , if the first blade develops a nick that allows toner to leak under the blade , the second ( or subsequent ) blade will clean the toner passing under the nicked blade . another example would be if the input mass density is high and the first blade is unable to remove all the residual and allows some to leak under the first blade . the second blade &# 39 ; s function would be to remove the residual that leaked past the first blade . the two blades contacting the surface define a cleaning nip with a width nw , which is the circumference of the roll divided by the number of blades . the rpm for the cleaner roll is typically specified in terms of the process speed of the xerographic device . when the process speed increases , the rpm of the cleaner roll correspondingly increases . this holds true generally for all types of rotary cleaners . from the studies conducted , cleaner rpm was varied with process speed . in particular , process speed was set constant and cleaner rpm was adjusted until good cleaning was achieved . this represents the minimum roll speed required for cleaning . a simple empirical relationship that works well with both toner and diluted ink systems was found to follow the formula : where v pr is the process speed of the xerographic device and v b is the minimum rpm to achieve good cleaning . a simple empirical relationship that works with a pasty ink having a high solids content , for example a 24 % solids ink , was found to follow the formula : where v pr is the process speed of the xerographic device and v b is the minimum rpm to achieve good cleaning . cleaning blades used for xerographic or electrophotographic applications usually operate using one of a doctoring mode or a wiping mode motion . in the doctoring mode , a blade edge contacts a surface at a low angle and cleans using a chiseling or pushing motion . in the wiping mode , the blade edge is closer to perpendicular to the surface and cleans using a wiping motion . applicants have found that the wiping mode is preferable as it eliminates any stick - slip motion when the surface being cleaned has low lubrication . as such , the invention provides a rotary cleaner that provides a plurality of blades that operate in the wiping mode . in view of this testing , the exemplary rotary cleaner 100 has been found to be particularly applicable to single or multiple color liquid development electrophotographic imaging systems , such as the exemplary one shown in fig5 . the imaging system is formed by an electrophotographic or ionographic printer 500 , with the associated printer housing and framework being omitted for clarity . such electrophotographic printers are well known and as such , their operation will only be briefly mentioned to provide context for the type of residuals being cleaned by the inventive rotary cleaner 100 . printer 500 employs as an image retention member 514 an endless conductive belt having a dielectric layer ( serving as an image bearing surface ) on which multiple electrostatic images are created by an ion deposition process . belt 514 moves in the direction of arrow 515 to advance successive portions of its surface through various processing stations disposed about the path of movement at a process speed of about 10 inches / second . belt 514 is supported by rollers 558 , 560 and 552 . roller 558 is rotatably driven by a suitable motor ( unshown ) to move belt 514 . rolls 544 , 545 , 548 , 550 , 554 and 556 are idler rolls provided to keep the belt taut and on track . initially , a portion of belt 514 passes through a primary color charging station 521 where an image forming subsystem 521 a and imager 582 ( which could be a laser ) deposits charge of sufficient magnitude to form a latent image on the dielectric surface of belt 514 . then , belt 514 passes a first liquid development system 536 with the belt surface containing the latent image confronting but uniformly spaced from the system 536 to form a first development zone 511 . development system 536 passes a developing liquid comprising an insulating carrier and a predetermined concentration of toner particles into the development zone to develop the electrostatic image into a visible image as well known in the art . next , belt 514 is advanced to second primary charging station 523 where an electrostatic latent image corresponding to a second color is formed by imager 584 , which image is subsequently developed by second development system 537 at second development zone 512 . the belt 514 then advances past a third primary charging station 525 and third imager 586 , followed by belt 514 passing a third development system 540 , and third development zone 516 . then , belt 514 advances past a fourth and final black charging station 527 and fourth imager 588 , followed by black development at development station 541 and fourth developing zone 517 ″. the second , third and fourth stations and associated development systems are substantially the same as the first mentioned corresponding station so additional details are omitted for brevity . after full color development , belt 514 advances the developed full image contained in the surface thereof to a transfer station 563 where a sheet of copy paper 568 is advanced from a paper stack 569 along paper path 571 by a sheet feeder 566 . the copy paper advances in synchronism with movement of the belt 514 so that the developed image and the sheet arrive simultaneously at transfer station 563 for transfer . after transfer , the copy sheet with transferred image thereon is advanced to a fusing station 570 which has a series of fuser rolls 570 a that vaporize any remaining liquid carrier on the paper surface and permanently fuse the toner particles onto the copy sheet . upon completion , the copy sheet is advanced to an output catch tray ( unshown ). a rotary cleaner 100 is provided downstream from transfer station 563 to remove any residuals , such as adhering toner particles or carrier fluid from belt 514 prior to creation of a new image . rotary cleaner 100 may be opposed to an idler roller 556 . rotary cleaner 100 corresponds to the rotary cleaner disclosed in fig1 - 3 . while a full color system has been shown , it is obvious that the invention also applies to monochrome printing and copying systems . the liquid electrophotographic system of fig5 operates at a predetermined process speed . the rotary cleaner is rotated at a speed commensurate with the process speed and preferably is rotated at a minimum rotation speed as set forth in equation 1 when the liquid is diluted and rotated at a minimum speed as set forth in equation 2 when the ink has a high solids content . [ 0042 ] fig6 depicts schematically an exemplary dry xerographic system to which the invention may also be particularly suited . as xerographic systems are well known , the various processing stations thereof will only be briefly described . a reproduction machine 600 is shown having a photoreceptor belt 610 having a photoconductive surface that serves as an image bearing surface . while a belt architecture is shown , the invention is equally applicable to a drum photoreceptor architecture . photoreceptor belt 610 moves in the direction of arrow 612 to advance successive portions of belt 610 sequentially through the various processing stations disposed about the path of the belt . the belt 610 is entrained about a stripping roller 614 , a tension roller 616 , and a drive roller 620 . drive roller 620 is coupled to a suitable motor 621 by an appropriate linkage such as a belt drive ( unshown ). the belt 610 is maintained in tension by a pair of unshown springs that resiliently urge tension roller 616 against belt 610 with a desired force . both stripping roller 614 and tension roller 616 are idler rollers that are rotatably mounted for free movement . initially , a portion of belt 610 passes through a charging station a , where a corona device 622 charges a portion of belt 610 to a relatively high , substantially uniform potential ( which can be either positive or negative depending on application ). at exposure station b , an original document is positioned face down on a transparent platen 630 for illumination with flash lamps 632 . light rays reflected from the original document are reflected through a lens 633 and projected onto the charged portion 611 of the photoreceptor belt 610 to selectively dissipate the charge thereon . this records an electrostatic latent image on the belt that corresponds to the informational area contained within the original document . alternatively , a laser may be provided to imagewise discharge the photoreceptor belt 610 in accordance with stored electronic information . thereafter , belt 610 advances the electrostatic latent image to development station c , where at least one of two developer housings 634 and 636 is brought into contact with belt 610 for the purpose of developing the latent image . housings 634 and 636 may be moved into and out of developing position by corresponding cams 638 and 640 selectively driven by motor 621 . each developer housing 634 and 636 supports a developing system such as magnetic rolls 642 and 644 , which provides a rotating magnetic member to advance developer mix ( i . e ., carrier beads and toner ) into contact with the electrostatic latent image . the electrostatic latent image attracts toner particles from the carrier beads , thereby forming toner powder images on the photoreceptor belt 610 . if only a single color developing system is used , the second developer housing may be omitted . photoreceptor belt 610 then advances the developed latent image to transfer station d , where a sheet of support material such as paper copy sheets 649 is advanced into contact with the developed images on belt 610 . a corona generating device 646 charges the copy sheet to the proper potential so that it becomes tacked to the photoreceptor belt 610 and the toner powder image is attracted from photoreceptor belt 610 to sheet 649 . after transfer , corona generator 648 charges the copy sheet to an opposite polarity to detach the copy sheet from belt 610 , whereupon the copy sheet is stripped from belt 610 at stripping roller 614 . sheets of support material 649 are advanced to transfer station d from a supply tray 650 . sheets are fed from tray 650 with sheet feeder 652 and advanced to transfer station d along conveyor 656 . after transfer , the sheet continues from stripping roller 614 toward a fusing station e , which includes a fuser assembly 670 that permanently affixes the transferred toner powder images to the sheets . the fuser assembly may be a heated fuser roller 672 in pressure engagement with a backup roller 674 . from the fuser , sheet 649 passes gate 662 to an output tray 680 . residual particles remaining on the photoreceptor belt 610 after each copy is made are removed by cleaning station f , which includes the inventive rotary cleaner 100 . a roll 690 may oppose cleaner 100 . all of the various movements may be controlled by machine controller 696 . the dry xerographic system of fig6 operates at a predetermined process speed . the rotary cleaner is rotated at a speed commensurate with the process speed and preferably is rotated at a minimum rotation speed as set forth in equation 1 . while the systems of the invention have been described in conjunction with the specific embodiments outlined above , it is evident that many alternatives , modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art . accordingly , the exemplary embodiments are intended to be illustrative , not limiting . various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . for example , the blades do not necessarily have to be continuous in their length and may be discontinuous . to prevent gaps in cleaning with such a configuration , discontinuous regions in adjacent blades should be offset so that the entire length of the surface is covered by at least one of the two or more blades that contact the surface at any one time . moreover , it is not necessary for the blade cleaner 100 to be fixedly mounted adjacent and in contact with surface 200 . rather , it is possible for rotary blade cleaner 100 to be pivotally or translatably movable toward and away from surface 200 . further , while the base 120 and blades 110 may be integrally formed from a suitable material , it is also possible for base 120 and blades 110 to be formed of differing materials , with the blades 110 being bonded , adhered or otherwise affixed to base 120 so as to be radially provided around the periphery of base 120 . additionally , while base 120 is preferably cylindrical , the invention is not limited to this and acceptable results may be achieved using a semispherical or other surface . however , in such a case , full rotation would not be achievable and an indexing mechanism would be required to index the cleaner back to a first blade when the cleaner has advanced to the last blade element . moreover , the inventive rotary cleaner is applicable as a cleaning tool for many general purposes , even those outside of the graphic arts or printing field , as the cleaner has been found to adequately clean residual materials of many types from a surface .
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although the disclosure hereof is detailed to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention , the embodiments published herein merely exemplify the present invention . fig1 and 2 depict a laid open view of the inside of the first side ( 30 ) and the inside of the second side ( 50 ) of the motorized chalk line apparatus ( 20 ). first side ( 30 ) of housing ( 24 ) of motorized chalk line apparatus ( 20 ) has first receptacle ( 32 ) and second receptacle ( 34 ) for receiving the fasteners ( shown in fig6 and 7 ) that hold first side ( 30 ) and second side ( 50 ) of motorized chalk line apparatus ( 20 ) together . those skilled in the art recognize that more than two fasteners can be used to hold first side ( 30 ) and second side ( 50 ) together . first side ( 30 ) includes opening ( 92 a ) and second side ( 50 ) includes opening ( 92 b ). when first side ( 30 ) and second side ( 50 ) are fastened together , among other things , aperture ( 92 ) of housing ( 24 ) is created . first stub axle ( 36 ) extends inward from inward side ( 38 ) of first side ( 30 ). drive ( 40 ) also extends inward from inward side ( 38 ). second side ( 50 ) is provided with first receptacle ( 52 ) and second receptacle ( 54 ) for receiving fasteners ( not shown ), such as screws , to hold first side ( 30 ) and second side ( 50 ) of motorized chalk line apparatus ( 20 ) together . second stub axle ( 56 ) extends inward from the inward side ( 58 ) of second side ( 50 ). when first side ( 30 ) and second side ( 50 ) of motorized chalk line apparatus ( 20 ) are joined together , spool ( 60 ) and its corresponding driven gear ( 62 ) are mounted on first stub axle ( 36 ) and second stub axle ( 56 ) via a spool hollow . wall ( 64 a ), inward side ( 38 ) of first side ( 30 ) and wall ( 64 b ), inward side ( 58 ) of second side ( 50 ) create spool chamber ( 66 ) and chalk reservoir ( 68 ). when first side ( 30 ) and second side ( 50 ) are joined together wall ( 64 a ) and wall ( 64 b ) create wall ( 64 ) of spool chamber of spool chamber ( 66 ). common opening ( 70 ) joins spool chamber ( 66 ) and chalk reservoir ( 68 ) which allows the chalk line ( 90 ) ( shown in phantom ) to unwind from spool ( 60 ). contact switch ( 100 ) and slide ( 98 ) communicate with housing ( 24 ), and slide ( 98 ) is fitted to expose or close first opening ( 96 ) through which chalk can be added to chalk reservoir ( 68 ). fig3 is a lateral view of first side ( 30 ) of motorized chalk line apparatus ( 20 ). as shown , motor ( 110 ) and battery ( 120 ) communicate with housing ( 24 ). although not shown in fig3 , contact switch ( 100 ), motor ( 110 ) and battery ( 120 ) are connected via the appropriate circuitry . shaft ( 114 ) extends from motor ( 110 ) through inward side ( 38 ) of first side ( 30 ) and carries drive ( 40 ). as shown , drive ( 40 ) is a gear , but those skilled in the art recognize that other types of drives can be utilized to practice the present invention . in this view , spool ( 60 ) is coupled to stub axle ( 36 ). in operation , spool ( 60 ) rotates about stub axles ( 36 and 56 ), when the chalk line is pulled away from the spool or when drive ( 40 ) rotates driven gear ( 62 ) to cause the spool ( 60 ) to reel in the chalk line . chalk line ( 90 ) is wound about spool ( 60 ) and has a section extending out of spool chamber ( 66 ) through common opening ( 70 ) of wall ( 64 ) into and through chalk reservoir ( 68 ) and out of aperture ( 92 ) of housing ( 24 ). as best shown in fig9 , chalk line ( 90 ) can be provided with stop ( 88 ) to prevent the tip of the chalk line from being wound about spool ( 60 ). in other embodiments , the chalk line can also include an anchor ( 102 ) which allows a single person to operate the present invention without the need of an assistant to hold the remote end of the chalk line . fig4 is a view of the outward side of first side ( 30 ) of motorized chalk line apparatus ( 20 ). housing ( 24 ) can be composed of plastic or other material capable of being constructed to accommodate motor ( 110 ) and battery ( 120 ). in select embodiments , the battery holder ( 122 ) and the motor chamber ( 112 ) can be joined to the outside surface ( 26 ) of housing ( 24 ) via any manner acceptable in the art while in other embodiments , housing ( 24 ) can be molded to internally include the motor chamber ( 112 ) and battery holder ( 122 ). as shown battery holder ( 122 ) of housing ( 24 ) does not include a cover for the battery ( 120 ), but in other embodiments , the battery holder can encase the battery . in this particular embodiment , motor chamber ( 112 ) of housing ( 24 ) is of a generally cylindrical - type design , but in accordance with the present invention , motor chambers be constructed in other ways . fig5 is a lateral view of first side ( 30 ) of motorized chalk line apparatus ( 20 ) from the opposite perspective than the view shown in fig3 . as portrayed in fig5 , the chalk line ( 90 ) has been removed from the spool ( 60 ). shaft ( 114 ) extends from motor ( 110 ) through inward side ( 38 ) of first side ( 30 ) and carries drive ( 40 ). spool ( 60 ) rotates about stub axle ( 36 ), and driven gear ( 62 ) engages drive ( 40 ). slide ( 98 ) is fitted to expose or close first opening ( 96 ). fig6 is a lateral view of second side ( 50 ) of motorized chalk line apparatus ( 20 ). spool ( 60 ) rotates about stub axle ( 56 ). driven gear ( 62 ) is positioned about edge ( 74 ) of spool ( 60 ). chalk line ( 90 ) is wound about spool ( 60 ) and a section of the chalk line is extended out of spool chamber ( 66 ) through common opening ( 70 ) of wall ( 64 ) into and through chalk reservoir ( 68 ) and out of aperture ( 92 ) of housing ( 24 ). fig7 is a view of the outward side ( 28 ) of second side ( 50 ) of motorized chalk line apparatus ( 20 ). first receptacle ( 52 ) receives fastener ( 80 ) and second receptacle ( 54 ) receives fastener ( 82 ). outward surface ( 28 ) is provided with contacts ( 84 and 86 ) for reciprocating with a junction of the recharging base unit ( not shown ). fig8 is a schematic of the circuitry of the current motorized chalk line apparatus . line ( 140 ) runs from contact ( 84 ) ( not shown ) to battery ( 120 ). line ( 142 ) travels from battery ( 120 ) to contact ( 86 ) ( not shown ). line ( 144 ) runs from line ( 140 ) to motor ( 110 ) while line ( 146 ) connects motor ( 110 ) to contact switch ( 100 ), and line ( 148 ) runs from contact switch ( 100 ) to line ( 142 ). it has been determined that a nine volt battery and its corresponding motor provide adequate power to rotate the spool to return the unwound chalk line . however , those skilled in the art recognize that other combinations of direct current devices for powering the spool are within the scope of the present invention . fig9 is a pictorial representation of the present invention . first side ( 30 ) and second side ( 50 ) are joined together to create housing ( 24 ) of motorized chalk line apparatus ( 20 ). battery holder ( 122 ) for battery ( 120 ) and motor chamber ( 112 ) extend outwardly from first side ( 30 ). contact switch ( 100 ) is exposed for ease of operation and a portion of chalk line ( 90 ) extends outwardly from aperture ( 92 ). in this specific embodiment , chalk line ( 90 ) includes stop ( 88 ) and anchor ( 102 ). fig1 is a combination drawing of fig5 and fig6 that shows the first side of the present invention connected with the second side of the present invention . as shown , hollow ( 42 ) extends the width of spool ( 60 ) from stub axle ( 36 ) to stub axle ( 56 ). in the practice of the present invention , drive ( 40 ) engages driven gear ( 62 ) to cause spool ( 60 ) to rotate about stub axles ( 36 and 56 ). steps associated with the practice of the methods of present invention utilizing select structural elements enabled above are set forth in fig1 – 12 . having disclosed the invention as required by title 35 of the united states code , applicant now prays respectfully that letters patent be granted for his invention in accordance with the scope of the claims appended hereto .
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a ketone is used as one of the main raw materials in the continuous ado production of the present invention . the ketone is an aliphatic or aromatic ketone represented by the following general formula ( i ) ( wherein r 1 and r 2 are each independently an alkyl group , an arylalkyl group , an aryl group or an alkylaryl group each having 1 to 12 carbon atoms ), or a cyclic ketone represented by the following general formula ( ii ) ( wherein r 3 is an alkylene group having 5 to 12 carbon atoms ). as specific examples of the ketone represented by the general formula ( i ), there can be mentioned acetone , methyl ethyl ketone , methyl isobutyl ketone , 2 - hexanone , 2 - octanone , acetophenone , ethyl phenyl ketone and ethyl tolyl ketone . as specific examples of the ketone represented by the general formula ( ii ), there can be mentioned cyclopentanone , cyclohexanone , methylcyclohexanone and cyclooctanone . as to the amount of the ketone used , there is no particular restriction . however , the amount is generally 2 to 50 % by weight , preferably 5 to 30 % by weight based on the reaction solvent ( described later ) used . in the present invention , the above ketone is reacted with acetylene in the presence of an alkali catalyst . the alkali catalyst usable herein can be selected from an alkali metal , an alkali metal hydroxide and an alkali metal alkoxide . of the above alkali catalysts , as the alkali metal , there can be mentioned , for example , metal sodium and metal potassium ; as the alkali metal hydroxide , there can be mentioned , for example , sodium hydroxide , potassium hydroxide , lithium hydroxide , rubidium hydroxide and cesium hydroxide ; as the alkali metal alkoxide , there can be mentioned , for example , alkali metal aliphatic alkoxides such as potassium methoxide , potassium ethoxide , potassium isobutoxide , potassium tert - butoxide , sodium methoxide , sodium ethyoxide and the like . there can also be used alkali metal alicyclic alkoxides such as potassium cyclohexyloxide and the like . the alkali catalyst is used in an amount of 0 . 1 to 20 moles , preferably 0 . 5 to 10 moles per mole of the raw material ketone . when the amount of the alkali catalyst is less than 0 . 1 mole per mole of the ketone , the reaction rate is low and the conversion rate is low . when the amount of the alkali catalyst is more than 20 moles per mole of the ketone , the amount of the alkali catalyst is unnecessarily excessive . therefore , such amounts are uneconomical . as to the reaction solvent used in the present invention , there is no particular restriction . as the reaction solvent , there can be used a chain or cyclic aliphatic hydrocarbon , an aromatic hydrocarbon , an aliphatic ether , etc . as the chain aliphatic hydrocarbon , there can be mentioned , for example , saturated hydrocarbons such as hexane , heptane , octane , nonane , decane and the like ; and unsaturated hydrocarbons such as diisobutylene , triisobutylene , tetraisobutylene and the like . as the cyclic aliphatic hydrocarbon ( alicyclic hydrocarbon ), there can be mentioned , for example , cyclohexane , methylcyclohexane , decalin and the like . further , a mixture of chain aliphatic hydrocarbons , a mixture of cyclic aliphatic hydrocarbons , or a mixture of a chain aliphatic hydrocarbon and a cyclic aliphatic hydrocarbon ( a so - called naphthenic solvent ) can also be used as the reaction solvent of the present invention . as the aromatic hydrocarbon among the reaction solvent , there can be mentioned , for example , benzene , toluene , xylene , ethylbenzene , cumene , mesitylene , indene , fluorene and the like . as the aliphatic ether , there can be mentioned , for example , diethyl ether , methyl tert - butyl ether , ethyl tert - butyl ether , diisopropyl ether and the like . the continuous production of ado according to the present process is conducted using a two - stage reaction apparatus constituted mainly by two reactors . as the reactors , a tank type is used generally , but a tube type may also be used . in the flow of the production steps , first , a reaction solvent and an alkali catalyst are fed continuously into a first reactor ; then , acetylene and a ketone are continuously fed ; in this state , a reaction is allowed to proceed . part of the reaction mixture formed in the first reactor is continuously withdrawn into a second reactor with the liquid level of the first reactor being kept constant ; a fresh portion of the same ketone is continuously fed into the second reactor ; and a reaction is further allowed to proceed . part of the reaction mixture formed in the second reactor is continuously withdrawn at a given rate and treated in a separation and recovery step to recover an ado ( an intended product ). thus , all of the production steps are conducted continuously and thereby a high production efficiency is made possible . the reaction temperature in the first reactor or the second reactor is 0 to 100 ° c ., preferably 10 to 80 ° c ., and the reaction pressure is ordinarily 0 to 1 mpa ( gauge pressure ), preferably 0 to 0 . 2 mpa ( gauge pressure ) in terms of acetylene partial pressure . a high acetylene partial pressure gives a high reaction rate ; however , it is preferred to use a low acetylene partial pressure in order to prevent the decomposition and explosion of gaseous acetylene . incidentally , in order to prevent the decomposition and explosion , it is possible to dilute acetylene by introducing an inert gas such as nitrogen , argon , propane or the like . in the above production steps , the molar ratio of acetylene to ketone may be at least 0 . 6 mole of acetylene relative to mole of the ketone . generally , the reaction is allowed to proceed in a large excess of acetylene . the residence time in the reaction system varies depending upon the ratio of raw materials , the temperature of reaction system , the partial pressure of acetylene and other conditions , but is ordinarily 0 . 5 to 1 hour , preferably 1 to 6 hours . according to the process of the present invention , there are formed mainly an ado represented by the following general formula ( iii ) when a ketone of the general formula ( i ) is used : ( wherein r 1 and r 2 have the same definitions as given above ), and an ado represented by the following general formula ( iv ) when a ketone of the general formula ( ii ) is used : ( wherein r 3 has the same definition as given above ). the reaction mixture withdrawn from the second reactor is ordinarily subjected first to removal of the alkali catalyst contained therein . the removal of the alkali catalyst is generally conducted by addition of water to the reaction mixture and extraction of the alkali catalyst therewith . depending upon the case , it is possible to add an inorganic or organic acid to the organic phase to neutralize and remove a very small amount of the alkali catalyst remaining in the organic phase . the mixture obtained after the removal treatment of the alkali catalyst contains the reaction solvent , the unreacted ketone , ado , amo and a small amount of water used in the removal treatment of the alkali catalyst , is subjected to distillation to remove the unreacted ketone , amo and a small amount of water , whereby an intended ado can be obtained . the ado obtained by the present invention has a triple bond of high electron density and two hydroxyl groups adjacent thereto . since these hydroxyl groups synergistically act as highly polar groups , the ado or its derivative shows strong orientation to metals , antifoaming property , wettability , etc . and are utilized in nonionic surfactants , metal surface - treating agents , medicines , etc . the present invention is described in more detail below by way of example . however , the present invention is in no way restricted to the example . into a first reactor having an internal volume of 10 liters were continuously fed 95 g / hr of a potassium hydroxide powder ( purity : 95 %) and 800 g / hr of a naphthenic solvent ( boiling point range : 210 to 230 ° c ., sp . gr . : 0 . 79 ). acetylene was introduced up to a pressure of 0 . 02 mpa ( gauge pressure ). further , 100 g / hr of methyl isobutyl ketone ( a raw material ketone ) was introduced . the mixture was allowed to react at a temperature of 25 ° c . with stirring while the acetylene pressure was kept constant . then , continuous operation was conducted while part of the reaction mixture being withdrawn so that the residence time became 4 . 4 hr . the reaction mixture withdrawn from the first reactor was introduced into a second reactor . separately , 3 . 4 g / hr of methyl isobutyl ketone was continuously fed into the second reactor . in this stage , the mixture was further allowed to react . successively , the mixture in the second reactor was continuously withdrawn so that the residence time became 4 . 0 hr . the mixture withdrawn was washed with water and neutralized to remove the catalyst . the resulting material was analyzed by gas chromatography . as a result , the material contained 9 . 3 % by weight of an ado , i . e . 2 , 4 , 7 , 9 - tetramethyl - 5 - decyne - 4 , 7 - diol , 0 . 5 % by weight of an amo , i . e . 3 , 5 - dimethyl - 1 - hexyne - 3 - ol , and 3 . 6 % by weight of unreacted methyl isobutyl ketone . into a first reactor having an internal volume of 10 liters were continuously fed 95 g / hr of a potassium hydroxide powder ( purity : 95 %) and 800 g / hr of a naphthenic solvent ( boiling point range : 210 to 230 ° c ., sp . gr . : 0 . 79 ). acetylene was introduced up to a pressure of 0 . 02 mpa ( gauge pressure ). further , 100 g / hr of methyl isobutyl ketone ( a raw material ketone ) was introduced . the mixture was allowed to react at a temperature of 25 ° c . with stirring while the acetylene pressure was kept constant . then , continuous operation was conducted while part of the reaction mixture being withdrawn so that the residence time became 4 . 4 hr . the mixture withdrawn was washed with water and neutralized to remove the catalyst . the resulting material was analyzed by gas chromatography . as a result , the material contained 6 . 1 % by weight of an ado , i . e . 2 , 4 , 7 , 9 - tetramethyl - 5 - decyne - 4 , 7 - diol , 4 . 2 % by weight of an amo , i . e . 3 , 5 - dimethyl - 1 - hexyne - 3 - ol , and 2 . 1 % by weight of unreacted methyl isobutyl ketone . as seen above , the ado / amo ratio ( molar ratio ) in the continuous two - stage process of example 1 is 10 . 4 while the ado / amo ratio ( molar ratio ) in the one - stage process of comparative example 1 is 1 . 6 . thus , the ado / amo ratio is significantly improved in the process of the present invention . in the present process for continuous production of the acetylenediol , a continuous two - stage reaction and particular conditions are employed ; as a result , the formation of an acetylenemonool ( a by - product ) can be suppressed , and an acetylenediol can be produced continuously and efficiently with the acetylenediol / acetylenemonool ratio ( ado / amo ratio ) in the product being kept at a high level .
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fig1 is a block diagram of an example environment in which several aspects of the present invention can be implemented . the diagram is shown containing fully differential amplifier 100 , analog to digital converter ( adc ) 120 , and processing block 130 . fully differential amplifier 100 ( referred to simply as amplifier 100 below ) is shown containing operational amplifier ( opamp ) 110 , and gain - setting resistor pairs 109 a / 108 a and 109 b / 108 b . amplifier 100 receives input signals on inputs terminals 101 ( inp ) and 102 ( inm ) and provides a differential output across output terminals 103 ( outp ) and 104 ( outm ). input signals received on terminals 101 and 102 may represent single - ended inputs ( each input referenced to a ground or constant potential terminal , not shown ), or a single differential signal across terminals 101 and 102 . the inverting and non - inverting terminals of opamp 110 are respectively numbered 105 and 106 . gain - setting resistor pairs 109 a / 108 a and 109 b / 108 b have values designed to provide a desired gain to input 101 / 102 . capacitor 107 , placed across the differential outputs 103 / 104 supplies transient current to a load circuit ( adc 120 in the example ) connected to output terminals 103 / 104 , thereby operating to minimize voltage variations of output voltage 103 / 104 . in the example environment of fig1 , amplifier 100 provides a differential reference voltage vref across paths 103 and 104 . adc 120 receives ( gained ) differential output 103 / 104 ( vref ), and uses vref in generating digital representations of an analog signal received on path 121 in a known way . adc 120 forwards the generated digital representations ( digital codes ) on path 123 to processing block 130 . processing block 130 processes the digital codes received from adc 120 to provide desired operations . although , in the example above , amplifier 100 is described as operating as a reference buffer ( to provide a reference voltage vref to adc 120 ), in other environments amplifier 100 may be used as a general purpose amplifier to amplify signals . similarly , in such alternative environments any type of active or passive load ( s ) may be connected to the differential outputs 103 / 104 . it is generally desirable that the differential output signal 103 / 104 have a substantially constant common mode component for proper operation of adc 120 . various aspects of the present invention ensure such a constant common mode component . the aspects will be clearer in comparison with a prior approach not using at least some features of the present invention . accordingly the description is continued with respect to a prior implementation of amplifier 100 . fig2 is a circuit diagram illustrating the details of a prior implementation of a fully differential amplifier . fully differential amplifier 200 is shown containing input stage 210 , output stage 220 and common - mode feedback circuit 230 . power supply terminal 298 and ground terminal 299 are also shown . input stage 210 is shown implemented as a differential stage , and containing transistors 211 a , 211 b , current sources 212 a and 212 b , and constant current sink implemented by transistor 213 . input stage 210 receives input signals on input terminals 201 ( inp ) and 202 ( inm ) and provides differential outputs ( across terminals / nodes 215 and 216 ) to output stage 220 . the input ( gate terminal ) of transistor 213 is controlled by output 239 of error amplifier 235 of common - mode feedback circuit 230 ( described below ). nodes 291 and 292 represent the inverting and non - inverting inputs of input stage 210 . output stage 220 receives outputs 215 / 216 of input stage 210 , and provides a buffered ( with low output impedance ) differential output across terminals 203 ( outp ) and 204 ( outm ). output stage 220 is shown implemented as a pseudo - differential source follower , and containing transistors 221 , 222 , and current sources 225 and 226 . as is well known in the relevant arts , differential output 203 / 204 is characterized by differential signal (( outp minus outm ), representing the amplified difference of voltages at terminals inm and inp ), and a common - mode voltage ( outcm ) ( equal to the average of the voltage values at output terminals outp and outm ). resistors 250 a , 250 b , 260 a and 260 b determine the gain ( differential gain ) of amplifier 200 , as is well known in the relevant arts . capacitor 240 operates similar to capacitor 107 of fig1 , and supplies transient current to a load connected to outp and outm . in addition , since the output ( outp / outm ) of amplifier 200 is differential in nature , the provision of “ differential ” capacitor 240 across outp and outm renders the differential output ( outp / outm ) substantially immune to possible unequal ground bounce , had capacitor 240 instead been implemented as two separate “ single - ended ” capacitors connected respectively between outp , outm to ground . further , the use of capacitor 240 connected differentially is generally preferred over the use two single - ended capacitors ( as noted above ) to save significant area by reducing the total net capacitance required by a factor of four . common mode feedback circuit 230 is shown containing error amplifier 235 , and a resistive divider with resistors 231 and 232 . resistive divider formed by resistors 231 and 232 provides on path 236 , a voltage equal to the common mode voltage outcm at terminals outp and outm . as is well - known , the common mode components of outcm at respective terminals outp and outm are equal in phase and magnitude . error amplifier 235 receives as inputs the common mode voltage on path 236 , and a desired ( pre - determined ) common - mode voltage ( required to be maintained on terminals outp and outm ) on path 205 . error amplifier 235 compares the common mode voltage outcm provided on path 236 and the desired output common - mode voltage outcmd ( 205 ), and provides a control voltage on path 239 to the gate terminal of transistor 213 to cause outcm to ideally equal outcmd . error amplifier may provide a gain ( acm ) to the difference of voltages outcm and outcmd . thus , common mode feedback circuit 230 ideally operates to maintain the common mode voltage outcm at the desired value outcmd . fig3 is a diagram representing the common - mode loop of the circuit of fig2 . in fig3 , transistor 330 represents the combination of transistors 211 a and 211 b receiving a differential input ( denoted indiff , and representing the difference of the signals at nodes 291 and 292 ) at its gate terminal 301 , while transistor 340 represents the combination of transistors 221 and 222 . current source 310 represents the combination of current source 212 a and 212 b . current source 350 represents the combination of current sources 225 and 226 . error amplifier 235 is shown receiving outcmd ( 205 ) and common mode voltage outcm ( 236 ). continuing with reference to fig2 , capacitor 240 serves to provide frequency compensation by providing dominant pole compensation to the differential loop formed by the following paths : node 291 - path 216 - outm ( 204 )- resistor 260 b - node 291 and node 292 - path 215 - outp ( 203 )- resistor 260 a - node 292 . as noted above , the differential connection of capacitor 240 has no effect on the common mode loop , and thus may not provide adequate frequency compensation to the common mode loop . as a result , the common mode loop may become unstable . it is noted that the circuit of fig3 may have three independent poles at nodes 303 , 236 and 239 , none of the three being significantly dominant relative to the other two . in general , such common mode instability issues may exist in any differential amplifier that has a frequency compensating component / network that is “ seen ” ( effective in stabilizing ) only by the differential loop . as a result of the issues noted above , the common mode voltage at outp and outm may either oscillate or cause the voltages at outp and outm to rise towards the power rails ( 298 and 299 in fig2 ), which are not desirable . one prior solution to stabilize the common mode loop is to provide passive components ( e . g , capacitors ) in a single - ended manner , for example , between each of terminals outp and outm to ground . however , such an approach may affect the stability and speed of response of the differential loop , potentially necessitating the use of more complex frequency compensation circuitry / network for the differential loop . further , as noted above , the use of at least of single - ended capacitors may result in increased implementation area . several aspects of the present invention enable stabilization of a common mode loop in a fully differential amplifier without affecting a differential loop in the amplifier , as described next with respect to example embodiments . fig4 is a block diagram of a fully differential amplifier in an embodiment of the present invention . fully differential amplifier 400 is shown containing input stage 410 , common mode loop stabilization block 420 , output stage 430 and common mode feedback block 440 . input stage 410 receives input signals on terminals 401 ( inm ) and 402 ( inp ) and provides an intermediate differential output across terminals 413 a and 413 b ( also termed differential path 413 a / 413 b for convenience ). input stage ideally amplifies the difference of the voltages across 401 / 402 , while attenuating the common mode component of the input signal 401 / 402 , as is well known in the relevant arts . input signals received on terminals 401 and 402 may represent single - ended inputs ( each input referenced to a ground or constant potential terminal , not shown ), or a single differential signal across terminals 401 and 402 . input stage 410 may be implemented as a differential stage , and provides high input resistance and a large gain to input 401 / 402 . output stage 430 receives differential signal 413 a / 413 b , and provides a buffered ( low output impedance ) differential output across terminals 403 ( outp ) and 404 ( outm ). common mode feedback block 440 receives the common mode voltage on output terminals 403 and 404 ( shown in fig4 as being received via path 434 ) and the desired output common mode voltage outcmd 405 , and operates to provide a desired common mode voltage ( outcmd ) on terminals 403 and 404 . common mode loop stabilization block 420 measures the common mode voltage on differential path 413 a / 413 b ( the common mode voltage on 413 a / 413 b being representative to the common mode at output terminals 403 / 404 ), and injects a signal ( conveniently termed common mode stabilization signal ) proportionate to the common mode voltage on nodes 413 a / 413 b via paths 423 and 424 into each of paths 413 a and 413 b . in an embodiment described below , the provision of the common mode stabilization signal separately into each of paths 413 a and 413 b is designed to cause a dominant pole to be created at nodes 413 a and 413 b . as a result of the creation of the dominant pole , the common mode loop is stabilized . further , the correction signal is generated and provided in a manner such as not to affect ( the stability of ) the differential loop of amplifier 400 . the circuit details of amplifier 400 in such an embodiment are described next . fig5 is a circuit diagram illustrating the implementation details of a fully differential amplifier in an embodiment of the present invention . fully differential amplifier 500 ( conveniently referred to as amplifier 500 ) is shown containing input stage 510 , output stage 530 , common - mode feedback circuit 540 and common mode stabilization block 520 . terminals 517 and 518 correspond to power and ground respectively . power and ground connections of other circuit elements in fig5 ( although not numbered ) are connected appropriately as shown in the circuit diagram . the input signals to the fully differential amplifier are applied at terminals 501 and 502 , and the differential output is measured across terminals 503 and 504 . resistor pairs 550 a / 560 a , and 550 b / 560 b set the ( differential ) gain of amplifier 500 . input stage 510 operates similar to input stage 210 of fig2 , with current sources 514 a and 514 b , transistors 511 a and 511 b , and transistor 513 corresponding to current sources 212 a and 212 b , transistors 211 a and 211 b , and transistor 213 of fig2 , and therefore is not described here in the interest of conciseness . similarly , output stage 530 operates similar to output stage 220 of fig2 , with transistors 532 and transistor 534 corresponding to transistors 221 and 222 respectively , and current sources 536 and 538 corresponding to current sources 225 and 226 . common mode feedback circuit 540 also operates similar to common mode feedback circuit 230 of fig2 , with error amplifier 545 corresponding to error amplifier 235 , resistor divider network formed by resistors 541 and 542 corresponding to resistor divider network formed by resistors 231 and 232 . paths 549 , 546 and 505 correspond respectively to paths 239 , 236 and 205 respectively . although shown to be implemented outside of output stage 530 , capacitor 518 may also be implemented as part of the output stage . common mode stabilization block 520 is shown containing a resistor divider network containing resistors 523 a and 523 b , buffer 524 , capacitor 525 , and dependent current controlled current sources 526 and 527 . the common mode voltage on paths 515 and 516 is provided at junction 522 of resistors 523 a and 523 b . buffer 524 provides a buffered common mode voltage output on node 529 , thereby isolating the effect of capacitor 525 on nodes 515 and 516 . in particular , the presence of buffer 524 avoids affecting the differential loop noted below . the voltage on node 529 causes a current ( icap ) proportional to common mode voltage 522 ( vcm ) to flow through capacitor 525 , with icap as expressed by the following equation : a is the gain of buffer amplifier , vcm is the common mode voltage as seen at node 522 , sc is the laplacian transform of capacitance c ( capacitor 525 ) each of dependent current controlled current sources 526 and 527 scales the capacitive current icap , and adds a scaled current ( k * icap ) to respective nodes 515 and 516 . it is noted here that such scaling is done to reduce capacitor ( 525 in fig5 ) implementation area . the effective common mode capacitance is ( k times c ), wherein c is the required capacitance of capacitor 525 . thus , for example , by using a value of k equal to 10 , the capacitance ( and hence implementation area ) of capacitor 525 can be reduced by 1 / 10 . therefore , in an embodiment , the value of k equals 10 . the resultant capacitive load on nodes 515 and 516 nodes results in a dominant pole on these nodes for the common mode loop , thereby stabilizing the common mode loop . the ( stability of ) differential loop of amplifier 500 ( which may be viewed as being formed by the two loops node 591 - path 516 - outm ( 504 )- resistor 560 b - node 591 , and node 592 - path 515 - outp ( 503 )- resistor 560 a - node 592 ) is not affected by the added currents ( k * icap ), since these currents are equal and in phase with respect to each other . the differential loop , therefore , remains stable , due to the dominant pole at the output ( outp / outm ) created by differentially connected capacitor 518 ( similar to the effect of capacitor 240 noted above with respect to fig2 ). fig6 illustrates the equivalent common - mode loop of the circuit of fig5 . in fig6 , transistor 630 represents the combination of transistors 511 a and 511 b receiving a differential input ( denoted indiff , and representing the difference of the signals at nodes 591 and 592 ) at its gate terminal 601 , while transistor 660 represents the combination of transistors 532 and 534 . current source 610 represents the combination of current source 514 a and 514 b . current source 680 represents the combination of current sources 536 and 538 . the effect of the addition of currents by dependent current sources 526 and 527 ( fig5 ) is represented by “ virtual ” capacitive loading due to “ virtual ” capacitor 650 . thus , dominant pole compensation for the common mode loop is ensured by making this “ virtual ” capacitor “ appear ” at the node 635 . fig7 is a circuit diagram of an implementation of a common mode stabilization block in an embodiment of the present invention . common mode stabilization block 700 is shown containing resistor divider network formed by resistors 710 and 720 , transistors 730 and 740 , current source 750 , capacitor 760 and transistors 770 and 780 . the gate and drain terminals of transistor 730 are shorted , and hence transistor 730 operates as a diode . transistor 740 is configured to operate in a source follower configuration , and also serves to isolate node 722 ( and thus paths 515 and 516 ) from any loading effect of capacitor 760 . the gate terminals of transistors 770 and 780 are connected to the gate terminal ( node 778 ) of transistor 730 . therefore transistors 770 , 780 and 730 are connected in a current - mirror configuration . the common mode voltage on paths 515 and 516 provided at junction 722 of resistors 710 and 720 is buffered by source follower 730 . capacitor 760 presents a capacitive load to the buffered common mode voltage provided by source follower 730 . since current through current source 750 cannot change , any change in the common mode voltage on paths 515 and 516 causes a capacitive current proportional to the change in common mode voltage to flow through diode - connected transistor 730 , transistor 740 and capacitor 760 . the capacitive current is mirrored by transistors 770 and 780 ( due to the current - mirror configuration noted above ). as a result , currents equal to the capacitive current noted above are injected in to the paths 515 and 516 by the current source pair 770 and 780 . sufficient current ( hence bandwidth ) in the diode ( 730 ) arm and careful matching of transistor pairs 770 and 780 ensures that the capacitive currents injected into paths 515 and 516 are equal and in - phase , and also have the desired phase to get sufficient common - mode capacitive loading ( as will be apparent to one skilled in the relevant arts ). thus , according to several aspects of the present invention , a common mode loop in a fully differential amplifier is stabilized without affecting a differential loop in the amplifier . an amplifier ( e . g ., amplifier 500 ) as described above may be used in place of amplifier 100 of fig1 as well as in other environments ) to provide several features according to the present invention . transistors 511 a , 511 b , and 513 ( fig5 ), and transistor 740 ( fig7 ) may be implemented as n - type mos ( metal oxide semiconductor transistors ) while transistor 532 and 534 ( fig5 ), and transistors 730 , 770 , 780 may be implemented as p - type mos ( metal oxide semiconductor transistors ). it should be appreciated that the specific type of transistors ( nmos , pmos etc .) noted above are merely by way of illustration . however , alternative embodiments using different configurations and transistors will be apparent to one skilled in the relevant arts by reading the disclosure provided herein . for example , the nmos transistors may be replaced with pmos ( p - type mos ) transistors , while also interchanging the connections to power and ground terminals . accordingly , in the instant application , the power and ground terminals are referred to as reference potentials , the source and drain terminals of transistors ( though which a current path is provided when turned on and an open path is provided when turned off ) are termed as current terminals , and the gate terminal is termed as a control terminal . furthermore , though the terminals are shown with direct connections to various other terminals , it should be appreciated that additional components ( as suited for the specific environment ) may also be present in the path , and accordingly the connections may be viewed as being electrically coupled to the same connected terminals . in addition , the circuit topologies of fig5 and 7 are merely representative . various modifications , as suited for the specific environment , without departing from the scope and spirit of several aspects of the present invention , will be apparent to one skilled in the relevant arts by reading the disclosure provided herein . while various embodiments of the present invention have been described above , it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example only , and not limitation . thus , the breadth and scope of the present invention should not be limited by any of the above - described embodiments , but should be defined only in accordance with the following claims and their equivalents .
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referring to fig1 there is illustrated therein a schematic representation of a device for detection of chemical reactions and other molecular interactions , including changes in state of matter . as seen therein , the device includes a reaction vessel 10 , which may be equipped with a stirrer 12 . the reaction vessel 10 is equipped with a water jacket 14 to maintain a desired temperature . a magnetometer probe 16 is positioned in the reaction vessel . in a preferred embodiment of this invention , the magnetometer probe is a semiconductor hall - effect generator . the water jacket 14 provide temperature regulation of the magnetosensitive area of the magnetometer probe 16 . in the specific equipment used to generate the magnetometer charts of fig2 to 23 , the magnetometer probe 16 uses a semiconductor hall - effect generator with a circular magnetosensitive area of 16 sq . mm . the reaction tube 10 consists of a 20 mm length of borosilicate glass tubing of 4 mm i . d . and is fixed to the magnetosensitive area . the reaction vessel 10 may be dimensioned to accommodate any desired volume of liquid . in the specific device described above , solution volumes up to 1000 μl may be added to the reaction tube 10 and volumes as low as 1 . 0 μl can be analyzed when presented to the probe or a thin film sandwiched between two thin plastic discs of slightly less than 4 mm in diameter , or other dimension depending on the dimension of the magnetosensitive area of the magnetometer probe . the use of a thin - film reaction system as just described is highly convenient and yields magnetometer responses that are accurate and rapidly analyzed . samples and ongoing chemical reactions and interactions can be analyzed according to the invention also when placed in proximity to the magnetosensitive area of the magnetometer probe , even when the location of the sample is outside the water jacket 14 . the magnetometer probe 16 is connected to a magnetometer amplifier and control box 18 . for a hall - effect magnetometer probe , the control box 18 may house a standard hall - effect amplifier and control system . the control box 18 is connected to a chart recorder 20 or other convenient manner of recording the output from the magnetometer probe . in the specific experiments detailed herein , the standard hall - effect amplifier and control system was set to have a maximum working range of sensitivity of 200 microgauss full - scale for display on a laboratory chart recorder . the working output of the magnetometer system was read out on a graph of time vs . magnetic field strength in microgauss ( see fig2 to 23 ). since differing molecular interactions can be expected to produce characteristic time vs . field strength relationships , a fast fourier transform ( fft )- assisted spectral analysis of the unprocessed magnetometer output signal may provide information concerning the nature of the molecular interaction ( s ) proceeding in the reaction vessel , even long before the reaction kinetics have reached equilibrium . the spectral analysis provides a signature frequency spectrum to specific chemical interactions . the generation of specific frequency spectra in accordance with this aspect of the present invention , enables the identity of an unknown reaction to be determined rapidly and accurately . in table 1 below , there is listed specific various types of chemical reactions which are amenable to identification by such signature spectra , as well as specific applications of this aspect of the invention in studies on biological , biochemical and biomedical phenomena . the use of a superconducting quantum - interference detector ( squid ) probe can provide signal - to - noise ratios many orders of magnitude greater than the hall - effect magnetometer probe described here and may be employed in place thereof . each improvement in signal - to - noise permits the measurement of chemical interactions with progressively smaller reaction volumes . thus with the attachment of a squid magnetometer probe our invention would be able to analyze chemical reactions in microscopic volumes or at great distances from the reacting substances . the latter facility would permit the present invention to be used to detect , identify and non - invasively analyze , in real time , specific chemical reactions ongoing in the interior of the living body , e . g . in humans . increases in signal - to - noise ratios and smaller reaction volumes also decrease analysis times , since the fft virtual - filtering routines have less noise to remove . as a component of the present invention , therefore , a squid magnetometer probe provides a non - invasive , rapid , nonconfining method of diagnosing metabolic disease states from without the human body . use of a squid magnetometer probe in the present invention permits also the detection of electromagnetic fields generated in the microwave ranges during chemical reactions . this in turn permits the present invention to detect and analyze chemical events , taking place in reaction vessels or in the living body , whose activity and specific chemical nature is characterized by microwave radiation in specific regions of the microwave spectrum . the addition of a simple static or slowly - varying magnetic field generator to the device in conjunction with a squid magnetometer permits the present invention to function , under certain conditions , as an electron spin resonance ( esr ) spectrometer and thereby discern molecular structure without requiring the chemical sample to be submitted to microwave radiation . one condition where this would obtain is during a chemical reaction involving known or unknown molecular entities . this result is achieved because the waveform of microwave signals from a chemically - reacting molecule in a magnetic field changes with imposed magnetic field strength in unique fashion for individual molecules . such application of the invention can with convenience be further enhanced by attaching to the magnetometer probe a semiconductor peltier - effect thermoelectric cooler , with appropriate electronic control system . this facility permits the analysis of chemical structure at cryogenic temperatures , a circumstance which reduces the rotation of protons around single bonds in the molecule of interest , thereby permitting more accurate representation and resolution of molecular conformation . the extension of the invention to provide a nuclear magnetic resonance facility involves merely the addition of the necessary magnetic field coil ( s ) and control system to the magnetometer probe . the practical shortest analysis time for the generation of a specific frequency spectrum from a given procedure is approximately ten times the period of the lowest frequency present in the frequency bandwidth chosen for analysis . with the small volumes and reactant concentrations necessary for achieving results using the present invention , this lower limit may approach no more than about one to two minutes . spectral or other modes of analysis , for example , pattern recognition and waveform trend forecasting , can be accomplished with a user - programmable digital computer which stores the unprocessed signal , the analyzed result and experimental notations on magnetic media . outputs of all stored modes can be displayed , as chosen , on the computer screen . these outputs can then be compared by visual and statistical means with response patterns previously obtained from known reactions under controlled conditions or derived from theory . thus , general and specialized libraries of spectral and response pattern data can be built up as the invention is utilized in an individual laboratory or can be compiled from variegated laboratories in several different areas of investigation . an expert system would be available to assist the investigator with the interpretation of results . this patent application is concerned with all applications of the principles described herein , for the detection or analysis of chemical reactions , molecular interactions , radioactivity and changes in state of matter , including the formation of plasmas , polymers , spin glasses ( ref . vi77 ), liquid crystals and phase transitions in gases , liquids , solids ( ref . si82 ) and colloids constituted from all states of matter . the present invention , in addition to the specific uses described above , is useful for , the detection and measurement of : ( i ) free radicals , in solution or in gaseous , liquid , sol or gel colloid suspension , whether stationary or in motion relative to the magnetometer probe . ( ii ) all chemical entities with unpaired electrons or with asymmetric nuclear magnetic momentum , whether stationary or in motion relative to the magnetometer probe . ( iii ) chemical reactions , especially those in enzymatic pathways , within the living body , by means of a magnetometer probe attachment of suitable shape , size , and adequate sensitivity and signal - to - noise ratio , whether the reaction and molecular interactions under intended observation are the result of ongoing bodily activities in health or disease or are stimulated to crim magnetosynchrony by the administration of exogenous substances such as specific substrates for chosen enzyme systems or by the application of electromagnetic energy such as bioluminescence either coherent or noncoherent , coherent light , such as laser energy , electromagnetic fields at any frequency or by ultrasonic , thermal or mechanical energy . ( iv ) chemical reactions and molecular interactions observed in vitro in tissues excised ethically from plants , insects , animals , patients and their controls , in order to distinguish healthy from diseased tissue and under experimental conditions as described above . ( v ) industrial effluent gases , liquids , solids and suspensions , whether colloidal , quasi - colloidal or crudely macroscopic systems . ( vi ) magnetic field patterns to be used in seeking fossil fuels , whether gaseous , liquid or solid ; underground water and its variant solute - modified constitutions ; underground pollutants , especially those hazardous to underground workers , the hazards to include coal dust , explosive gases and toxic gases ; specific rock formations indicating species of ore , fault lines and tectonic formations and hazards , solid or liquid pollutant substances in soil , groundwater and aquifers . ( viii ) chemical reactions and molecular interactions in oceans , rivers , lakes and reservoirs where analysis or detection of the chemical reactions can yield information concerning ongoing or incipient environmental pollution hazards . ( ix ) chemical reactions and molecular interactions in soil , where analysis or detection of the chemical reactions can yield information concerning the ongoing biochemical activity of soil organisms and concerning ongoing or incipient environmental pollution hazards . ( x ) chemical reactions in industrial processes where on - line information in real time is desired concerning the kinetics and phases of continuous chemical reactions in the ongoing batch or bulk process with the object of automating and regulating the process for optimal productivity and quality . in reactions of all kinds , the ability of the invention to detect and identify intermediates in the total reaction process , in laboratory micro -, bench - top and industrial - scale batches . the present invention , being particularly useful for monitoring the reaction rates and kinetics of polymerization reactions since the formation of polymerizing bond structures generates molecular magnetic domains similar to those found in magnetized mineral and ferrite substances , may also be used for detection and monitoring of polymerization processes . ( xi ) incipient and ongoing ice formation in shipping ports , on rivers and in lakes , on highways , roads and rail lines , on surface vehicles , especially on windscreens and windows and on wings , ailerons , cowling , wheel fittings and other ice hazard - sensitive areas of aircraft and spacecraft . ( xii ) the electromagnetic pulse ( emp ) which accompanies the detonation of a nuclear device , either fission or fusion type and , by means of the fft spectral analysis facility of this invention , analysis of the isotopes involved in the fission and / or fusion events . ( xiii ) application of the present invention for measuring or monitoring any of the chemical reactions / interactions , electromagnetic energies , atomic or nuclear events mentioned in the foregoing that can be monitored from locations technically remote from the magnetosensitive region of the magnetometer probe . the device illustrated in fig1 has been employed in the generation of charts depicting the time course of various reactions carried out in the reaction vessel 10 and these charts are shown in fig2 to 23 . the specific reactions and conditions are outlined in the figures using certain abbreviations and are tabulated in table 3 below . examples of some biochemical pathways identified by the device of fig1 and shown in certain of the fig2 to 23 are detailed in table 2 below while specific identification of the experiments depicted by fig2 to 23 is shown in table 4 below . in summary of this disclosure , the present invention provides a novel method of detecting or analyzing an event , such as a chemical reaction , molecular interaction and / or change of state of matter by detecting a change in electromagnetic field strength . modifications are possible within the scope of this invention . ( ha49 ) harnwell , g . p . ( 1949 ). principles of electricity and electromagnetism . mcgraw - hill , new york . ( si82 ) sinai , ya g . ( 1982 ). theory of phase transitions : rigorous results , pergamon press , oxford . table 1______________________________________some applications of signaturespectra and pattern analysis______________________________________a . enzyme reactions 1 . sequential addition of substrates 2 . mixtures of substrates 3 . optimization of conditions : co - factors , ions , metals 4 . spectra from cells and tissuesb . molecular interactions 1 . ligand / receptor 2 . antigen / antibody 3 . substrate / enzymec . tissue / cell profiles 1 . basal conditions or in response to added ligand 2 . normal vs . disease 3 . specific frequency spectrum signature______________________________________ table 2______________________________________examples of some biochemical pathways thatthe inventors have identified by use ofthe device described in this document metabolizednon - nadph - by * pigdependent rat liver liversubstrate microsomes chromatin______________________________________histidine + ++ histidinol + + histamine + + adenosine + + ornithine ++ + nadph - dependentaminopyrine + - aniline + - putrescine + + testosterone - + estradiol - - progesterone + - cortisol + - amitryptyline + + fluoxetine + + ______________________________________ legend : &# 34 ;+&# 34 ; = pathway response readily apparent . &# 34 ;++&# 34 ; = strong pathway response . &# 34 ;-&# 34 ; = no response ; no evidence for pathway . * most of these observations and virtually all in the chromatin are original to our laboratories and can be done with our device , in its present state of development , in a total of no more than 10 experimenterhours . currently available stateof - the - art analytical systems would likely require a minimum of 2500 experimenterhours to accomplish th same results . table 3______________________________________abbreviations on figures ( numbers in parentheses indicate vol in μl concentrations ofstock solutions added ) ad = adenosine ( 0 . 2 mm ) an = aniline ( 0 . 2 mm ) ap = aminopyrine ( 0 . 2 mm ) b = 0 . 1 m tris - po . sub . 4 bufferchrom = chromatin from pig liver nuclei ( i mg protein / ml ) cort = cortisol ( i μm ) est = β - estradiol ( 1 μm ) gbt = glass bottom tubeha = histamine ( 0 . 2 mm ) hd = histidine ( 0 . 2 mm ) hol = histidinol ( 0 . 2 mm ) nadph = reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate ( 0 . 5 mm ) orn = ornithine ( 0 . 2 mm ) pbt = probe is bottom of tubepgt = flat - bottom glass tube on probepl = phospholipid substrateplase = bee venom phospholipasepln = pig liver nuclei ( 1 mg protein / ml ) prog = progesterone ( 1 μm ) pu = putrescine ( 0 . 2 mm ) regen = nadph regeneration system : glucose - 6 - phosphate , glucose - 6 - phosphate dehydrogenase , nadprlm = rat liver microsomes ( 1 mg protein / ml ) test = testosterone ( 1 μm ) ______________________________________ table 4______________________________________legends to figures______________________________________fig2 pbt ( 50 ) b , 10 chrom . response . to hdfig3 pgt 100 chrom ( 700 ) b . response to hdfig4 rlm . response to ap . no further change in slope with adfig5 chrom . response to test in presence of nadph . fig6 rlm . response to orn in presence of nadphfig7 rlm + n . two responses to hd , short latency in both . fig8 rlm . slight response to orn . enhanced slope with hd . pu ( 10 ) n ( 10 ) response seen at end of record . fig9 rlm + n . response to anfig1 rlm . no response to orn ( unusual ). no response to n . response to pu . fig1 chrom . response to ornfig1 phospholipid / buffer . addition of plase (&# 34 ; 50 enzyme &# 34 ;, on record ) generates responsefig1 chrom . response to regenfig1 pl / buffer . response to purified bee venom plasefig1 pln . response to hdfig1 chrom . no response to fluoxetine ( 0 . 2 mil ; &# 34 ; prozac &# 34 ;, on record ) until nadph addedfig1 rlm . response to hol (&# 34 ; h ` ol &# 34 ; on record ) fig1 rlm + n . response to ap . increased slope with putrfig1 pln . no response to putr until nadph addedfig2 non - active sample is 1500 μl orn buffer as thin film . e180k ( on . record ) is p450 isoenzyme , 10 . sup .- 16 m ( estimated as 0 . 1 % of total protein ), thin film . fig2 thin film suspension of rat liver whole cells . same 50 cells each trial . control responses are from culture mediumfig2 . sup . 125 i ( nai ), ca 10 . sup . 5 dpmfig2 tritium ( uniformly labelled 3h - histamine ), ca . 22 × 10 . sup . 3 dpm______________________________________ calibrations : unless otherwise stated , vertical deflection . of one major division ( accented lines parallel to long axis of record ) represents approximately 50 microgauss at the magnetosensitive region of the halleffect magnetometer probe in fig2 to 23 , all samples were remote from probereaction vessel assembly ; calibrations both represent 50 microgauss at magnetometer probe halleffect region .
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fig1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention . as stated previously , a glide height test and a read / write test are conducted prior to the magnetic transfer process . a single read / write tester 11 conducts these two tests . data concerning the number of defects in the glide height test and the positions thereof on each surface of the transfer disk , data concerning the number of defects and the positions thereof in the read / write test , and so forth , can be obtained from the read / write tester 11 . such test result data are read from the read - write tester 11 and stored on a transfer quality control personal computer 4 . a magnetic transfer device 2 then records a servo pattern . as described above , the adhesion of particles to a master disk causes problems . to avoid these problems , a test for particles is conducted prior to the magnetic transfer process , so as to determine whether particles are adhered to the transfer disk or not . the results of this test for particles , such as the number of particles present , are forwarded to the transfer quality control personal computer 4 . when particles are adhered to the surface of a disk , it is determined as being defective in the test for particles . most particles , however , can be easily removed . thus , the disks that are determined to be defective by the test for particles are stored for a while . if and when a certain number of such disks have accumulated , the disks go again through the entire process , beginning with a tape cleaning process , as in fig1 . this enables many disks to pass the test for particles , so that the magnetic transfer can be completed on these disks . after the magnetic transfer process , an optical testing device 3 carries out a visual test for all disks . in the visual test , it is determined whether there are any abnormalities on the surfaces of the disks , such as pits , scratches and bumps . the optical testing device 3 scans the entire surface of the disk , including the innermost peripheral part ( the part at the inner diameter ) and the outermost peripheral part ( the part at the outer diameter ) as well as a data zone . for example , an optical testing device 3 may irradiate a laser beam onto the surface of the disk and detect the variations in the quantity of reflected and scattered light , the presence of which indicates that there are abnormalities on the surface . if the particles are introduced into the space between the master disk and the transfer disk during the magnetic transfer , a pit is typically formed on the disk , and a bump is typically formed around the pit . the optical testing device 3 needs to detect these defects . when the optical testing device 3 detects a pit or a bump , it is impossible to determine whether they have been formed in the magnetic transfer process or not . however , even if particles are introduced between a certain transfer disk and the master disk , there is no big problem , since the transfer disk would only be identified as being defective if the particles fall and do not adhere to the master disk . the particles introduced during the magnetic transfer process only cause a big problem in the case where the particles continue to adhere to the master disk , thus forming pits or bumps around them in all subsequent transfer disks . to avoid this , the adhesion of particles to the master disk in the magnetic transfer process needs to be detected quickly , and a manufacturing line must be stopped temporarily to clean the master disk or to replace the master disk with another . in the easiest method for determining whether or not the particles are adhered to the master disk , the transfer quality control personal computer 4 gives an alarm when the optical testing device 3 determines a plurality of consecutive transfer disks as being defective ( refer to steps 1 - 4 ). in this method , it is impossible to determine whether a plurality of consecutive transfer disks has been made defective by a process other than the magnetic transfer process or during the magnetic transfer process itself . an operator who receives the alarm must make this determination . fig3 shows a determination algorithm for limiting the conditions . first , whether a plurality of consecutive transfer disks is defective or not is determined as described with reference to fig2 . if a plurality of consecutive transfer disks is defective , it is determined whether the type of the defect detected by the optical testing device is a pit or a bump ( refer to step 1 ). it is then determined whether the defects are located at the same position ( refer to 2 ). if both of these conditions are satisfied , it is determined whether the abnormal conditions such as the adhesion of particles occur in the master disk ( refer to steps 3 - 5 ). positional information about the defects can be obtained with respect to positions in both a radial direction and an angular direction of the disks . a reference position in the angular direction , however , cannot necessarily be maintained at the same position if the disk moves to another testing device . for this reason , whether the defects are located at the same position or not is determined according to whether the defects are located at the same position in the radius direction ( refer to 2 ). although there is a slight possibility that the pits or the bumps are formed on a plurality of consecutive disks due to some process other than the magnetic transfer process , such defects occur mainly in the magnetic transfer process . therefore , there is hardly any problem if it is determined that the magnetic transfer process causes the defects . if a plurality of consecutive transfer disks is determined as being defective due to the adhesion of particles to the master disk in the above - described determination method , the transfer quality control personal computer 4 gives an alarm to an operator in a manufacturing line . for example , an alarm sound is given . further , a message indicating that the adhesion of particles is causing a plurality of consecutive transfer disks to be defective may be displayed on a monitor screen of transfer quality control personal computer 4 , so as to alert the operator to clean the master disk or replace the master disk with another . the optical testing device 3 cannot find all defects of magnetic disks , and the read / write test cannot be conducted after the magnetic transfer . for this reason , according to the embodiment shown in fig1 the glide height test and the read / write test are conducted for several sampled disks after the magnetic transfer process , so as to confirm the quality of final products ( refer to the read / write tester 12 ). servo signals written by the magnetic transfer process are erased from the samples disks , but disks that are determined as being non - defective in the sampling read / write test can undergo the tests beginning from the magnetic transfer process . of course , the results of the sampling glide height test and read / write test can be handled in the same manner as the results of the visual test conducted by the optical testing device . in this case , if a plurality of consecutive disks has defects at the same position , it is determined that the disks are made defective due to the magnetic transfer process . in the case of the read / write test , however , it is impossible to clearly determine that magnetic transfer has caused the abnormalities , compared with the case where the results of the visual test are used , because even non - defective disks have some defects , and the type of defects cannot be determined clearly , as compared with a visual test . if the read / write test is conducted prior to the magnetic transfer as shown in fig1 media that are determined to be defective in the read / write test after the magnetic transfer are almost certainly made defective in the magnetic transfer process . it is , therefore , preferable to determine that the magnetic transfer process has caused disk abnormalities on the basis of the consecutive detection of defective disks in the sampling glide height test and the read / write test after magnetic transfer . if the magnetic transfer is performed , the optical testing device 3 must confirm the quality of final products after the magnetic transfer . it is therefore preferable to set the conditions of the optical testing device 3 to be as close as possible to those of a magnetic read / write test . therefore , according to the present invention , the results of the sampling glide height test and the read / write test after the magnetic transfer and the results of the visual test conducted by the optical testing device 3 are collected in the transfer quality control personal computer 4 and are automatically compared with each other . this provides information that is useful in setting the conditions of the optical testing device . in one method of providing the information , the ratios of the following defects to the total number of defects detected by the respective testing devices are calculated , and the results of the calculation are displayed on the monitor screen of the transfer quality control personal computer : 1 ) defects detected at the same position in the glide height test or the read / write test and the visual test ; if the ratios 2 ) and 3 ) are high , the conditions of the optical testing device are strictly set . if the ratio 4 ) is high , the conditions of the optical testing device are relaxed . the results of the test for particles prior to the magnetic transfer are also collected in the transfer quality control personal computer 4 in fig1 . the amount of particles adhered to each surface is collected as a result of the test for particles . although large particles can be detected as causing defective disks in the glide height test , some of small particles cannot be detected in the glide height test . even small particles , however , may contribute to the accumulation of particles . if the number of particles increases in the environment of the manufacturing line due to the deterioration of the environment , the offending particles may be omitted from the detection system with respect to both the glide height test and the test for particles . this increases the amount of particles coming into contact with the master disk . finding such a situation as quickly as possible is therefore important in assuring magnetic transfer quality . if the number of particles increases due to the deterioration of surrounding environment , as stated above , the number of particles that are detected by the test for particles and the number that cannot be detected by the test for particles both increase at the same time . thus , it is possible to detect an increase in the number of adhered particles by time - series , for example , by constructing a histogram representing the number of adhered particles as detected in the test for particles . in short , the ratio of non - defectives in the test for particles is monitored , and when the ratio of non - defectives becomes lower than a specified value , the transfer quality control personal computer 4 gives an alarm . according to the embodiment shown in fig1 the glide height test and the read / write test are conducted for all the media before the magnetic transfer process . if , however , the quality of media to be manufactured satisfies the required quality , it is possible to replace one or both of the glide height test and the read / write test with the visual test conducted by the optical testing means . this would achieve the effects except for the above - described effect relating to the glide height test or the read / write test conducted before magnetic transfer . it is also very important to optimize the conditions of the visual test by using the results of the glide height test and the read / write test after the magnetic transfer process . according to the present invention , it is possible to quickly detect abnormal conditions of consecutive transfer disks caused by the magnetic transfer in which particles become adhered to the master disk , and to detect the presence of damage on the transfer disks caused by the abnormal conditions . it is also possible to optimize the conditions of the optical testing device , which confirms quality after the magnetic transfer , and quickly detect a state in which a deterioration in the environment of the manufacturing line is increasing the number of particles adhering to the master disk . the present invention therefore provides an overall transfer quality control system that is capable of maintaining satisfactory quality in the magnetic transfer process .
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the invention relates to an electric motor , in particular a three - phase electric motor , having a housing composed of ferromagnetic material , in particular steel , and having a shaft , which can be driven in a rotating manner , in the housing , with the housing having at least one end frame with a bearing for supporting the shaft , and with the bearing having sensor means for detection of the rotation state of the shaft . the invention relates in particular to a brushless three - phase asynchronous electric motor of the type mentioned initially , which is installed in a drive shaft of a vehicle , in particular of an industrial truck , in order to drive drive wheels on the drive shaft . drive shafts of the type under consideration and with a built - in three - phase electric motor are known , for example , from de 198 40 006 a1 and from de 298 19 114 u1 . the shaft housing is at the same time in the form of a motor housing , with the stator of the motor being fixed in the shaft housing , and a hollow shaft passing axially through the rotor of the motor and being driven by the electric motor such that it rotates . the hollow shaft is the input shaft of a differential transmission which is accommodated in the shaft housing and whose output drive shafts drive the wheels which are associated with both ends of the drive shaft . in order to provide open - loop and closed - loop controls of the electric motor on the basis of the desired vehicle speed , vehicle acceleration , direction of travel etc ., the actual rotation state of a shaft in the drive run , in particular of the hollow shaft , is detected by means of a rotation angle sensor . it is being proposed that a sensor bearing be used for this purpose , in the form of a roller bearing with at least one integrated rotation angle incremental sensor . sensor bearings such as these are commercially available , and are described , for example , in ep 0838 683 , ep 0992 797 or ep 0875 683 . trials with a sensor bearing which is arranged directly in the bearing holding opening of the end frame of a housing of an electric motor and which provide a bearing for the motor shaft have shown that the output signals from the rotation angle sensors were frequently subject to severe interference , so that it was impossible to ensure reliable detection of the actual value of the rotation state of the motor shaft . particularly in the case of a drive motor which is integrated in a vehicle drive shaft , however , reliable detection of the rotation state of a drive shaft is important in order to make it possible to provide reliable drive control . the invention is thus based on the object of providing an electric motor of the type mentioned initially , and in particular a drive shaft which is equipped with such an electric motor , in which it is possible to detect the rotation state of the shaft reliably by means of a sensor bearing which is used in the end frame . in order to achieve this object , the invention proposes that the bearing is held in a shielding bush , which is arranged fixed in the bearing holding opening in the end frame and is composed of a nonferromagnetic material , and in that a covering bush is provided , which is connected to the end frame or is in the form of an integral part of the end frame , surrounds the shaft , is composed of ferromagnetic material and , inside the housing , surrounds the bearing and the shielding bush . the invention furthermore proposes in order to achieve the object that the electric motor is in the form of an integrated drive unit of a drive shaft for a vehicle , in particular of an industrial truck , and in that the housing forms at least a part of the shaft housing of the drive shaft . the invention is based on the idea that the signal interference mentioned above with a sensor bearing which is used directly in the steel end frame of the motor housing could be caused by the stray flux of the magnetic field produced by the electric motor , with the stray flux influencing the sensor electronics . in particular , angle sensors with hall sensors react in a sensitive manner to the magnetic stray flux of the motor passing via the housing walls and the end frame , in such a way that the measurement signal has such severe interference superimposed on it that it is impossible to evaluate this measurement signal for control purposes . in the electric motor according to the present invention , the shielding bush offers increased magnetic reluctance while , in contrast , the covering bush results in “ channelization ” of the magnetic flux which passes from the motor housing casing via the end frame of the shaft , and hence to the interior of the motor . the magnetic stray flux is thus essentially guided from the housing casing via the end frame and the covering bush to the shaft , such that it bypasses the sensor bearing and the electronic components which are provided on it . the nonferromagnetic shielding bush should be composed of a mechanically robust material , preferably a metal such as bronze or brass . a shielding bush composed of austenitic steel , aluminum or ceramic would also be feasible . in order to guide the magnetic flux efficiently while bypassing the sensor bearing , the shaft aperture opening in the covering bush through which the shaft passes should have a circumferential surface whose radial distance from the shaft is very small . the air gap , which corresponds to this radial distance , between the covering bush and the shaft should , as far as possible , not be significantly broader than 0 . 5 mm . as a further measure for efficient guidance of the magnetic stray flux while bypassing the sensor bearing , the invention provides that the covering bush has a collar which extends in the axial direction of the shaft and bounds an air gap which is as small as possible between it and the shaft . this collar offers a larger surface area for the magnetic flux to pass from the covering plate to the shaft . the measures which have been mentioned above mean that it is possible to use a commercially available sensor bearing as the bearing for the motor shaft and , furthermore , that it is possible to detect the rotation state of the motor shaft in the electric motor reliably and virtually without any interference . this is particularly important in the case of a drive shaft with an electric motor such as this as an integrated drive unit , in which the actual value of the drive state is detected reliably by detecting the rotation state of the shaft which is driven by the motor . the invention will be explained in more detail in the following text with reference to the figures , in which : [ 0014 ] fig1 shows a highly schematic plan view of a drive shaft unit , which is illustrated partially in the form of a section and partially cut away , with a sensor bearing without the measures proposed according to the invention . [ 0015 ] fig2 shows the region of the shaft housing / motor housing that is illustrated cut away in fig1 illustrated in an enlarged form , with fig2 showing a shielding bush and a covering bush in accordance with the measures proposed according to the invention . [ 0016 ] fig1 shows a drive shaft with a built - in brushless three - phase electric motor for providing the traction drive for a forklift truck . a drive shaft such as this is described in more detail , for example , in de 198 40 006 a1 , to which reference is made . [ 0017 ] fig1 shows a central section 3 of the shaft housing 5 partially cut away , so that it is possible to see the elements of the integrated electric motor 7 . the stator 9 , which is held fixed in the housing 5 , is connected to the outer circumferential wall ( the casing ) of the approximately cylindrical housing center part 3 . a hollow shaft 13 passes through the rotor 11 ( which is held in the stator 9 such that it can rotate ) of the three - phase electric motor , is driven by the electric motor 7 and acts as an input shaft for a differential transmission ( which is not shown in the figures ), whose output drive shafts drive the drive wheels ( 15 , 17 ) via a respective spur gear system transmission , as indicated in the form of a schematic sectional illustration in fig1 . the shaft which is shown in plan view form in fig1 has a so - called porch offset of the housing center part 3 with respect to the outer parts 19 , 21 . this results in better space conditions , in particular for accommodating the lifting column / lifting frame 23 of a forklift truck . the shaft housing 5 is the load - bearing component of the drive shaft and for this reason must be designed to be mechanically robust . in the case of the example , both the casing part 3 of the shaft housing 5 and the end frame 25 , which forms an intermediate wall of the shaft housing 5 running transversely with respect to the axis 27 of the motor shaft 13 and is connected directly to the housing center part 3 , are composed of steel . as shown in fig1 a roller bearing 31 , for example a ball bearing , is inserted in the bearing holding opening 29 in the end frame 25 and supports the motor hollow shaft 13 at its end remote from the differential transmission , such that it can rotate . the roller bearing 31 is a sensor bearing , which has angle sensors 33 , one of which can be seen . the rotation state of the motor hollow shaft 13 can thus be detected by means of the sensor bearing 31 , 33 . the sensor bearing 31 , 33 thus preferably has at least two hall sensors 33 , which are arranged at an angular interval from one another on the circumference of the bearing 31 , so that they can supply signals with a phase shift , as is important for identifying the rotation direction . the signals supplied from the sensors 33 are evaluated in the form of actual value signals by a control unit ( which is not shown ) for controlling the drive to the wheels 15 , 17 . the control unit can thus determine the rotation speed , the rotation acceleration , the change in the rotation angle and the rotation direction of the shaft . in the case of a drive shaft as shown in fig1 with a sensor bearing 31 , 33 which makes direct contact with the steel material of the end frame 25 , the signals supplied from the rotation angle sensors 33 were frequently subject to severe interference , so that it was not always possible to achieve reliable drive control . it has been found that the major reason for this interference is the magnetic flux which is produced by the electric motor , passed via the housing casing wall and via the end frame 25 and via the sensor bearing 31 , 33 inserted therein to the shaft 13 , and which influences the electronic components of the sensor bearing 31 , 33 . [ 0018 ] fig2 shows the internal area of the drive shaft , as can be seen by cutting away the central shaft housing part 3 in fig1 with the relevant motor components , illustrated enlarged , although fig2 has been modified from the illustration in fig1 in that measures according to the invention are shown for suppressing the abovementioned interference with the rotation angle sensor signal . these measures include accommodation of the roller bearing 31 in a shielding bush 35 composed of a nonferromagnetic material , such as brass or bronze . the shielding bush is held fixed in the bearing holding opening 29 in the end frame 25 , with the shielding bush 35 preferably extending over the entire axial length of the end frame 25 and of the bearing 31 , and possibly beyond them . in the case of the example , the end frame 25 has a collar 32 which contains the bearing holding opening 29 . a covering bush 37 , which is composed of ferromagnetic material , preferably steel , is placed radially externally on the collar 32 and is connected directly to the end frame 25 . inside the housing , that is to say on the side of the end frame 25 facing the rotor 11 , the covering bush 37 covers the sensor bearing 31 , 33 and the shielding bush 35 . the radially inner circumference 39 of the covering bush 37 bounds , together with the shaft 13 , a narrow air gap 41 , with a gap width of , for example , 0 . 5 mm . in order that the radially inner circumferential surface 39 is as large as possible , the covering bush 37 has a radially inner collar 43 , which extends in the axial direction towards the rotor 11 . the covering bush 37 is used to close a magnetic circuit which bypasses the sensor bearing 31 , 33 , with the magnetic stray flux being passed from the housing casing wall 4 via the end frame 25 and then via the covering bush 37 to the shaft 13 . the shielding bush 35 forms a high magnetic reluctance , and thus provides shielding for the sensor bearing 31 , 33 . it has been found that an arrangement as shown in fig2 achieves effective suppression of interference with the rotation angle sensors 33 . as can be seen in fig2 the covering bush 37 may have cable aperture openings 45 for sensor cables 47 which are connected to the motor control unit ( which is not shown ). it should be mentioned that the shielding bush 35 and / or the covering bush 37 may be elements composed of a number of parts . on the other hand , the covering bush 37 may also be formed cohesively and integrally with the end frame 25 , thus being an integral part of the end frame 25 . in addition to the bearing holding opening 29 , the end frame may have further openings , for example for cooling of the motor .
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for the preparation of the column packing material the redispersable , non - porous , monosized silicon dioxide microspheres must be first redispersed in a non - protic solvent , such as acetonitrile , propionitrile , under the action of ultrasound . after redispersion the silylating agent is added , the suspension heated to reflux . after isolation and drying at 120 ° c ./ 10 - 3 torr the powder is treated again with the same silylating agent in order to complete the surface layer . another possibility is to wet the slightly agglomerated , redispersable powder by a non - polar type solvent such as cyclohexane , toluene or xylene , add the silylating agent ane treat the stirred suspension by ultrasound where the product is partly silylated and forms a monosized suspension . after heating to reflux for 10 - 30 h the product is isolated in a centrifuge . elemental analysis shows that a nearly compact layer of alkyldimethylsiloxy layer is formed . the product may be treated a second time with the same silylating agent in order to complete silylation . using the derivatized final products short chromatographic columns ( 33 × 4 . 6 mm ) were packed . in the following the preparation of the adsorbents and their stability tests are described . furthermore , the separation of low molecular weight compounds as well as that of biomolecules are illustrated in a few typical examples . the time of re - equblibration of the column , ready to start a new analysis after gradient elution is typically 1 - 2 min i . e . is reduced by a factor 5 - 10 . eluents are environmental friendly i . e . they contain much less organic component . preparation of kovasil ms - dmb . the starting material was kovasil ms from chemie uetikon ( uetikon , switzerland ) composed of redispersable , non - porous , monosized silicon dioxide microspheres , rehydrated in water for 20 h . specifications : a quantity of 10 . 0 g of the product was redispersed in 200 ml acetonitrile applying ultrasonic irradiation during 15 min . ( 3 , 3 - dimethylbutyl ) dimethyl ( dimethylamino ) silane ( 67 . 5 mg ) was added to the suspension which was refluxed under an argon atmosphere during 12 h . the partly silylated product was isolated by centrifugation and washed with cyclohexane and finally dried . the dried product was transferred into a glass ampoule , the same silylating agent ( 60 mg ) was added then the ampoule was cooled , evacuated and sealed . the closed ampoule was kept at 150 ° c . during 50 h . after cooling the ampoule was opened and the white powder was washed with cyclohexane and dried . surface concentration of the ( 3 , 3 - dimethylbutyl ) dimethylsiloxy groups was γ sox = 4 . 0 μmol m - 2 . in the following this stationary phase will be designated as kovasil ms - dmb . ( the stationary phase silylated with the same method but with use of tetradecyl - dimethyl ( dimethyilamino ) silane as silylating agent will be designated as kovasil ms - c14 ). test of a column packed with kovasil ms - c14 . separation of a test mixture composed of toluene ( 1 ), butylbenzene ( 2 ) and pentylbenzene ( 3 ). experimental : column : 33 × 4 . 6 mm ; elution mode : isocratic ; mobile phase : acetonitrile / water ( an / w = 50 / 50 by volume ); flow rate : 0 . 9 ml min - 1 ; pressure : 20 mpa ; temperature : ambient ; detector : uv 254 nm ( see fig1 ). theoretical plate numbers , n x : n toluene : 4100 ; n butylbenzene : 6150 ; n pentylbenzene : 7980 . the increase of number of theoretical plates as a function of retention time was explained by extracolumn contributions of the chromatographic system to peak - broadening ( with longer retention this contribution has a smaller effect ). hydrolytic stability of the stationary phases , kovasil ms - c14 and kovasil ms - dmb . experimental : columns : 33 × 4 . 6 mm ; mobile phase is a mixture of acetonitrile / water ( an / w = 50 / 50 by volume ) containing 0 . 12 % trifluoroacetic acid ( tfa ); temperature : 80 ° c . ; flow rate : 1 . 5 ml min - 1 ; pressure : 16 mpa . the columns were connected periodically to the chromatographic system ( every 20 h ) and the mixture of example 2 was injected . relative retention as a function of time are shown in fig2 . during the whole test period ( 400 h ) the number of theoretical plates remained constant . separation of a protein mixture of analytical importance on kovasil ms - dmb components : 1 ribonuclease , 2 cytochrom c ( horse ), 3 cytochrom c ( bovin ), 4 lysozyme , 5 conalbumin , 6 myoglobin , 7 β - lactoglobulin b , 8 β - lactoglobuihn a , 9 chymotrypsinogene . experimental : column : 33 × 4 . 6 mm ; elution mode : multilinear gradient by mixing a and b where eluent a is a mixture of an / w = 20 / 80 and eluent b is an / w = 90 / 10 both containing 0 . 12 % trifluoroacetic acid ( tfa ); elution program : 0 → 0 . 5 min 3 . 6 → 27 % b , 0 . 5 → 1 min 27 → 29 % b , 1 → 1 . 2 min 29 → 37 % b , 1 . 2 → 2 min 37 → 39 % b , keep and return ; flow rate : 3 . 0 ml min - 1 ; pressure at start 35 . 1 mpa ; temperature : 80 ° c . ; detector : wv 215 nm ( see fig3 ). separation of β - lactoglobulins on kovasil ms - dmb . components : 1 β - lactoglobulin b , 2 β - lactoglobulin a . experimental : column : 33 × 4 . 6 mm ; elution mode : linear gradient by mixing a and b where eluent a is a mixture of an / w = 20 / 80 and eluent b is an / w = 90 / 10 both containing 0 . 12 % trifluoroacetic acid ( tfa ); elution program : 0 → 0 . 8 min 28 → 100 % b , keep and return ; flow rate : 3 . 6 ml min 1 ; pressure at start 35 mpa ; temperature : 90 ° c . ; detector : uv 215 nm ( see fig4 ). separation of octapeptides on kovasil ms - dmb . the seven octapeptides analysed have the following structure : tyr - ile - prox - ala - glu - lys - ile with x : 1 x = lys , 2 x = asn , 3 x = ala , 4 x = glu , 5 x = lie 6 x = phe 7 x = leu . experimental : column : 33 × 4 . 6 mm ; elution mode : multilinear gradient by mrixing a and b where eluent a is a mixture of an / w = 3 / 97 and eluent b is an / w = 90 / 10 both containing 0 . 05 % trifluoroacetic acid ( tfa ); elution program : 0 → 3 min 1 → 9 . 7 % b , 3 → 7 min 9 . 7 → 50 % b , keep and return ; flow rate : 1 . 5 ml min - 1 ; pressure at start : 22 mpa ; temperature : 40 ° c . ; detector : uv 215 nm ( see fig5 ). separation of frypsin digest of serum albumin on kovasil ms - dmb . experimental : column : 66 × 4 . 6 mm ; elution mode : multilinear gradient by mixing a and b where eluent a is a mixture of an / w = 2 / 98 and eluent b is an / w = 90 / 10 both containing 0 . 1 % trifluoroacetic acid ( tfa ); elution program : 0 → 1 . 8 min 5 → 12 % b , 1 . 8 → 3 . 8 min 12 → 32 % b , 3 . 8 → 6 min 32 → 50 % b , keep and return ; flow rate : 1 . 4 ml mim - 1 ; pressure at start : 37 mpa ; temperature : 37 ° c . ; detector : uv 215 nm ( see fig6 ). separation of proteins on kovasil ms - c14 . components : 1 insulin ( bovin ), 2 insulin ( porcine ), 3 cytochrom c ( horse ), 4 cytochrom c ( bovin ), 5 β - lactoglobulin b , 6 β - lactoglobulin a . experimental : column : 33 × 4 . 6 mm ; elution mode : linear gradient by mixing a and b where eluent a is a mixture of an / w = 5 / 95 and eluent b is an / w = 90 / 10 both containing 0 . 12 % trifluoroacetic acid ( tfa ); elution program : 0 → 3 . 5 min 7 → 45 % b , keep and return ; flow rate : 1 . 6 ml min - 1 ; pressure at start 33 mpa ; temperature : 37 ° c . ; detector : uv 215 nm ( see fig7 ). 1 . melander , w . r . and horvath , cs . ; in horvath , cs . ( ed . ), high performnnce liquid cihrontafography -- advances and perspectives , vol . 2 , academic press , new york 1980 2 . jelinek , l ., erbacher , c ., sz . kovats , e ., eilropean patent 0 574 642 a1 ( 1992 )
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fig1 shows a generator 20 incorporating a main stator 22 adjacent to main windings 24 . a generator shaft 26 is driven to rotate by a source of rotation , which may be a gas turbine engine . an exciter rotor 28 is mounted on the shaft , and rotates adjacent to an exciter stator 29 . as known , the rotation of the exciter rotor 28 generates an ac current , which is delivered to the main winding 24 through dc connector pins 50 and 151 . connections are shown schematically from the pins 50 and 151 going to the main windings 24 . this portion of the invention is as known in the art . a wire 32 passes through slots 34 in the shaft 26 and is connected to electrical terminals 66 . the detail of the generator shaft 26 , and the slots 34 , are better disclosed in a co - pending u . s . patent application ser . no . 12 / 436 , 161 , filed on even date herewith and entitled “ generator rotor with improved hollow shaft .” a rectifier assembly 38 is shown within an inner bore in the generator shaft 26 . as shown in fig2 a , the rectifier assembly 38 incorporates an end housing 60 , an insulator 68 , a first electrical ring 70 , a second insulator 52 , a second electrical ring 56 , and another insulator 52 . as can be seen , the pins 50 and 151 extend beyond insulator 52 . this assembly is shown in fig2 a without the housing portion 62 . fig2 b shows the housing portion 62 assembled to the housing portion 60 . in addition , an oil supply tube 36 is shown in fig2 b extending outwardly of the assembly 38 . it should be understood that the oil supply tube 36 need not be part of the rectifier assembly 38 , and that further , if it is inserted into the assembly , it is inserted after the various screws are tightened , as will be discussed below . holes 64 and 65 extend through the first housing 62 to allow access to internal screws or bolts . fig3 is an exploded view of the assembly 38 , and shows the oil supply tube 36 . the housing 60 is shown adjacent to the terminals 66 . an insulator 68 includes slots 69 that extend for a generally great circumferential distance and each receive a terminal 66 , and smaller slots 71 which provide access to tighten a bolt that is to be received in the terminal 66 . the insulator 68 is preferably formed of a plastic . electrical ring 70 is formed of copper , and includes diodes 75 . spring strips 74 carry three bolts 72 , one to be associated with the terminal 66 , and the other two to be associated with nuts 54 formed in two spaced insulators 52 . ledges 79 on the springs 74 extend away from a face 81 of the springs that carries the bolts 72 . ledges 79 abut and hold diodes 75 against an inner wall of the electrical rings 70 and 56 . as shown , the insulators 52 include holes 53 to allow access to an opposed bolt and slots 73 to receive and hold nuts 54 . as shown in fig4 , the holes 64 are positioned to be opposite of bolts 72 in each of the insulators 52 . similarly , slots 65 at an axial end of the housing 62 allows access to the bolt 72 received in terminals 66 . as appreciated from this figure , the diodes 75 are biased by the ledges 79 against an inner surface of the electrical connection members 70 and 56 . when assembling the diode assembly 38 , one initially assembles the housing components onto the second housing 60 . the first housing 62 is then brought over the assembly . at that point , the bolts 72 are tightened by moving a tightening tool 600 through the holes 64 , 65 , 53 , and 71 . as can be seen , the holes are opposed to the location of the bolts . while the holes can be spaced 180 ° from the bolts , all that is intended by the term “ opposed ” is that the holes allow access to the bolts for tightening . after this assembly , the oil tube may then be moved into the housing . as shown on the right hand side , a tool 600 extends through the holes 64 and 53 and is tightening the bolts 72 . it should be understood there are three circumferentially spaced sets of the bolts 72 at each of the three axial locations . by utilizing the two housing portions , and by providing the bolt access holes , the present invention simplifies the assembly when compared to the prior art . fig5 shows the electrical components of the overall rectifier assembly 38 . as can be appreciated , the pins 50 and 151 each extend to a slot 201 in their respective electrical rings 70 and 56 . the pins provide a positive and negative connection . fig6 shows the electrical ring 70 , but the illustration would also apply to the ring 56 . as shown , flat surfaces 203 receive a diode , and curved portions 205 are formed circumferentially between the flats 203 . an ear 210 includes an opening 201 to receive a pin 50 , or 151 . fig7 a shows the first housing element 62 . as shown in this cross - sectional view , a slot 303 provides room for ear 210 . the sot 301 receives the connection pins 151 . it should be understood that spaced from this view would be a longer slot 301 to be associated with the longer connection pin 50 . grooves 111 extend circumferentially about the inner periphery to circulate oil . as shown in fig7 b , holes 115 on an outer periphery of the first housing member 62 communicate grooves 111 with outer peripheral tube slots 113 . fig8 a shows the second housing member 60 having openings 163 to receive the terminals 66 . as shown in fig8 b , holes 161 in this housing allow access to the screw threads for tightening . a central tri - lobular hole 200 receives a tri - lobular head of the oil supply tube , to properly position the oil supply tube . of course , other non - cylindrical shapes may be utilized to properly position the oil supply tube . a ledge 201 , as shown in fig8 b , provides a stop for the head on the oil supply tube . in this way , the oil supply tube is properly positioned relative to the remainder of the assembly such that oil holes 19 in the oil supply tube are aligned with the diodes 75 ( see fig4 ). although embodiments of this invention have been disclosed , a worker of ordinary skill in this art would recognize that certain modifications would come within the scope of this invention . for that reason , the following claims should be studied to determine the true scope and content of this invention .
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referring now to the drawings , the locking / unlocking device 1 shown in fig1 to 4 is adapted to mechanically lock a connector 2 on a tubular structure 3 of longitudinal axis x - x . by way of example , the structure 3 constitutes a part of the chassis of an assembly of baggage chests embarked on board an aircraft and the connector 2 is intended to be connected to the fuselage of the aircraft . in the following description , the term “ front ” will , for convenience , designate a direction directed towards the structure 3 , i . e . towards the left in fig1 to 4 , while the term “ rear ” will designate the opposite direction . the connector 2 comprises a front part 21 in the form of a solid cylindrical rod , whose longitudinal axis merges with axis x - x in the figures . the front part of this rod 21 is provided with an outer thread 22 . a rectilinear groove 23 is hollowed out over the whole length of the rod . at its rear end , the rod 21 is fast with a stirrup member 24 of which the arms extend substantially in directions parallel to axis x - x and are pierced right through with orifices 25 aligned in a direction substantially perpendicular to axis x - x . these orifices 25 are intended to receive a rod ( not shown ) for connection of the connector 2 with a structural component ( not shown ), for example part of the fuselage of the aircraft which , when it is used , is subjected to mechanical stresses and / or to vibrations inducing on the connector 2 a torque about axis x - x . with a view to linking the connector 2 to the tubular structure 3 , the latter is equipped with a substantially tubular rigid body 31 of axis x - x . this body is fixedly connected to the structure 3 , being for example force - fitted in the rear end of the structure . in a variant ( not shown ), the body 31 is directly integral with the structure . the body 31 is traversed right through along axis x - x by an inner bore 32 presenting a tapping complementary to the outer thread 22 of the rod 21 . in this way , the rod of the connector 2 is able to be screwed in the bore 32 so as to adjust the axial distance between the rigid body 31 and the stirrup member 24 , i . e . to adjust the structure and the connector “ in tension ”. to the rear of the bore 32 , the body 31 presents a tubular zone 33 whose internal diameter is greater than the diameter of the bore , thus forming an inner radial shoulder 34 . the rear end of this zone 33 is externally constituted by a flange 35 which projects radially from the rest of the outer surface of the body 31 , forming an outer radial shoulder 36 . the inner surface 37 of the flange 35 is of truncated shape , convergent in the direction of axis x - x towards the front . the device 1 also comprises a substantially tubular , rigid ring 4 , for example made of metal . this ring may be threaded around the rod 21 . at the level of the inner bore of the ring , there is provided a drive fluting 41 extending over the whole length of the ring and substantially complementary of the groove 23 hollowed out on the surface of the rod 21 . in this way , when the ring 4 is mounted on the rod 21 , it is linked in rotation with the rod , while remaining free in axial translation along this rod . as shown in greater detail in fig4 , the ring 4 is successively constituted : by a front part 42 , which is essentially cylindrical with circular base , whose external diameter is substantially equal to the internal diameter of the rear part 33 of the body 31 , the front end of this part 42 being shaped in truncated manner , convergent in the direction of axis x - x , towards the front , in order to facilitate the introduction of the ring 4 inside the zone 33 . by an intermediate part of truncated shape convergent in the direction of axis x - x , towards the front , the outer truncated surface of this intermediate part being referenced 43 ; and by a rear part 44 which is essentially cylindrical with circular base , provided at the front with an outer thread 44 of which the direction of threading is , for reasons ; explained hereinbelow , opposite the direction of the thread 22 of the rod 21 . in the rear part 44 of the ring 4 there is hollowed out a substantially cylindrical radial housing 46 inside which are disposed a stud 51 and a compression spring 52 radially interposed between the base of the stud and the bottom of the housing . the ring 4 is axially split over the whole of its length , as shown in fig3 which corresponds to the plane of section passing through the corresponding slot 47 . the device further comprises a substantially tubular , rigid bush 6 , for example made of metal , movably connected around the body 31 in substantially coaxial manner with respect to the bore 32 . in its running part , the bush 6 presents an internal diameter substantially equal to the external diameter of the end flange 35 and is internally provided with a tapping 61 substantially complementary of the thread 45 of the ring 4 . at the front of this tapping 61 , the bush 6 is provided with an end heel 62 extending radially towards the outside and whose internal diameter is substantially equal to the external diameter of the tubular body 31 . finally , the device 1 comprises two supple annular elements , or snap rings 71 and 72 respectively housed in a groove 38 hollowed out in the rear part 33 of the body 31 , from its inner face , and in a groove 63 hollowed out in the end heel 62 of the bush 6 , from its inner face . in a first step , the device 1 is in an unlocked configuration as shown in fig1 . in this configuration , the bush 6 is located at the front of the rear end flange 35 of the body 31 and the ring 4 is freely movable in axial translation between the rear end of the groove 23 and the body 31 , the rod 21 being engaged inside the bore 32 . in this unlocked configuration , the stud 51 partially projects , under the action of the spring 52 , from the outer surface of the rear part 44 of the ring 4 . means ( not shown ) are provided to avoid this stud 51 being totally disengaged from the housing 46 . the connector 2 is then freely screwed and / or unscrewed in the body 31 so as to adjust the axial distance between these elements . once this adjustment is effected , the user uses one hand in particular to slide the ring 4 axially towards the front until its truncated surface 43 comes substantially in contact with the truncated inner surface 37 of the rear end flange 35 of the body 31 . when these surfaces 37 and 43 are in contact , to within a functional clearance , the snap ring 71 clips inside an annular groove hollowed out on the outer surface of the front part 42 of the ring . the ring is then axially retained with respect to the body 31 , the user having to overcome the resistance of the snap ring 71 if he desires to disengage the ring towards the rear . in order to effect an efficient blocking , particularly in axial translation , of the ring 4 with respect to the tubular body 31 , the rigid bush 6 is used . more precisely , the bush passes from its position of fig1 to its position of fig2 to 4 , being slid axially towards the rear until its inner tapping 61 comes into axial abutment against the outer thread 45 of the ring . in order not to prevent the bush 6 from sliding freely towards the rear , the user pushes the stud 51 radially inside its housing 46 , compressing the spring 52 . in this configuration , the stud and the spring are represented in dotted lines in fig4 . the user then screws the bush 6 on the ring 4 , provoking tightening of the latter against the body 31 , the truncated surface 43 being pressed against the truncated surface 37 . when the screwing of the bush 6 around the ring 4 starts , the snap ring 71 retains the ring axially and avoids it being pushed towards the rear . insofar as the directions of the threads 22 of the connector 2 and 45 of the ring 4 are opposite , the screwing of the bush 6 does not bring about rotation of the connector 2 inside the bore 32 , which guarantees that the adjustment of the connector 2 / structure 3 assembly is not modified in length . during tightening of the ring , the edges of the slot 47 tend to close on one another so as to compensate the clearances of the device 1 . tightening of the ring 4 by the bush 6 against the body 31 continues until the heel 62 comes into axial abutment against the outer shoulder 36 of the body 31 , in that case provoking clipping of the snap ring 72 inside an annular groove hollowed out on the outer surface of the body 31 . the device 1 is then in its locked configuration of fig2 to 4 . the arrival of the bush 6 at the end of screwing on the ring 4 also provokes the radial alignment of the housing 46 with a radial orifice 64 traversing the bush 6 in its rear part . the cross section of this hole 64 being at least greater than the cross section of the stud 51 , the latter is then deployed radially towards the outside , under the effect of the spring 52 , its outer end projecting outwardly of the bush 6 . in its deployed state of fig2 to 4 , the stud 51 therefore indicates to the user that the bush 6 is suitably tightened on the ring 4 , i . e . that the tightening torque applied by this bush on the ring is sufficient to guarantee the expected locking of the device 1 . in this locked configuration , the ring 4 is immobilized by the bush 6 with respect to the tubular body 31 , with the result that , when the connector 2 is subsequently subjected to vibrations or external stresses , any movement of rotation of the connector about axis x - x is prevented . it will be understood that , for the blocking of the ring 4 by the tightening bush 6 to be as efficient as possible , the cooperation of the thread 45 and of the tapping 61 is essential . to that end , a plurality of independent and cumulative arrangements can be envisaged . firstly , the direction of the thread 45 may be provided to provoke an even greater tightening of the ring 4 by the bush 6 when the connector 2 is stressed by that of the two envisageable torques which is of greater intensity and / or frequency . consequently , when this considerable or repetitive torque is applied on the connector 2 , the device 1 provokes to some extent a more intense locking . however , the shoulder forms a stop surface corresponding to the maximum axial penetration admissible of the ring 4 in the body 31 in order to avoid damaging the device at the level of its truncated surfaces 37 and 43 . then , the extent of the surfaces of matter in mesh at the level of the thread 45 and of the tapping 61 may be dimensioned highly , by imposing a relatively small helix angle on this threading / tapping assembly , for example smaller than 30 °. consequently , when the threading 45 is completely in mesh with the tapping 61 , the ring 4 and the bush 6 are to some extent buttressed . similarly , the number of turns of the thread 45 and of the tapping 61 in mesh influences the resistance of the blocking of the ring 4 by the bush 6 . when the device 1 is in its locking configuration and the user wishes to unlock it , he pushes the stud 51 radially towards the inside , if necessary with the aid of an appropriate tool , this constituting an unlocking maneuver of which the user is necessarily conscious . he then partially unscrews the bush towards the front , having previously to overcome the resistance of the snap ring 72 . while the threading 45 is still partially in mesh with the tapping 61 , he pushes the bush 6 axially towards the rear , in that case driving the ring 4 axially . the adjustment of the connector 2 with respect to the structure 3 in length may then be modified or the bush 6 continues to be unscrewed until it is totally disengaged from the ring 4 . it will be understood that if , in cross section , the hole 64 is substantially complementary of the outer contour of the stud 51 , the cooperation of this stud and this hole , when the device 1 attains its locking configuration , renders the presence of the supple snap ring 72 unnecessary , the user having to overcome the resistance of the spring 62 in order to be able to begin unscrewing the bush 6 . various arrangements and variants to the locking / unlocking device 1 described hereinbove may , in addition , be envisaged : the snap rings 71 and 72 may be replaced by any supple annular safety element allowing the respective axial retainings of the ring 4 with respect to the body 31 and of the bush 6 with respect to this body , for example by circlips or elastomeric o - rings . the ring 4 may be equipped with a plurality of flutings similar to fluting 41 and cooperating with as many grooves hollowed out on the surface of the rod 21 . the drive fluting may have different profiles in cross section , for example rectangular , trapezoidal , flat , incurved , etc . . . the rear part of the connector 2 is not limited to the stirrup - like form as described hereinabove , but is generally adaptable to any mechanical linking member , for example a ball - and - socket joint ; and / or the geometry of the structure 3 on which the device 1 locks the connector 2 is not necessarily tubular .
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in the following , a particular embodiment of the invention will be described by way of example only . fig1 is a perspective view of a system unit 10 for use in a rack - mountable system . in a particular example described herein , the system unit is a computer system unit for forming a computer server for a telecommunications application , for example an internet server . as shown in fig1 the unit 10 has a front surface 12 formed by a front wall , a rear surface 14 formed by a rear wall , a left end surface 16 formed by a left side wall , a right end surface 18 formed by a right side wall , a lower surface 20 formed by a base wall and an upper surface 22 , in the present example formed by a cover 30 . as shown in fig1 the system unit 10 is provided with sacrificial transport flanges 24 , which extend above and below the system unit . this optional feature is removed before installation of the system unit 10 in a rack . the system unit 10 is constructed with an extremely robust chassis 11 , with the various walls 12 - 20 and the cover 30 forming the casing of the chassis 11 as well as internal walls ( not shown ) being formed of heavy gauge steel . the walls of the chassis can be made , for example , from electroless nickel - plated mild steel with a thickness of , for example , 1 . 5 to 2 . 0 - mm . the steel chassis 11 is pre - formed with mounting holes for the attachment of mounting flanges or a slide mechanism to enable the system unit 10 to be provided with a wide variety of mounting options and rack sizes . mounting flanges can be provided to suit standard 19 - inch , 23 - inch , 24 - inch or 600 - mm nominal frame widths . ( one inch = approximately 25 . 4 mm ). fig2 a is a plan view of the unit 10 showing the upper surface 22 / cover 30 and various options for flanges 26 with the displacements from the front surface indicated in mm . fig2 b is a front view of the unit 10 showing the front surface 12 and two different examples of mounting flanges 26 . the mounting flange shown to the left ( as seen in fig2 b ) is provided with a handle to facilitate insertion and removal of the unit 10 from the racking system , whereas the flange 26 to the right ( as viewed in fig2 b ) is not provided with a handle . in the present example , the mounting flanges can be attached using screws which pass through the mounting flange into threaded holes in the end walls 14 , 16 at either side of the chassis 11 of the unit 10 . fig2 c is a side view of the system unit 10 , showing the holes in the side of the system unit 10 for the mounting of flanges or a slide mechanism . vertical rows of holes are for the attachment of flanges to be attached to vertical rack components , and horizontal rows of holes provide for the attachment of a runners for permitting a slideable mounting of the system unit in a rack . fig3 is a perspective rear view of the unit 10 showing the cover 30 that forms the top surface 22 of the unit 10 as can be seen , the cover 30 is provided with front locating flanges 32 that , in use , engage a co - operating front flange 31 of the body of the chassis 11 . side flanges 33 engage either side of the end walls forming the left and right ends 16 and 18 of the chassis 11 . detents 34 on those end walls engage within l - shaped slots 35 in the side flanges 33 so that the cover may be lowered onto the top of the chassis 11 and then moved forwards so as to cause the detents 34 to latch within the slots 35 . at the rear of the cover 30 , a rear flange 36 with a lower lip 37 engages over an abutment 38 at the top of the rear end wall 14 of the casing 10 . the cover can be secured to the remainder of the chassis 11 by means of a screw 39 that passes through this rear flange into a threaded hole in the abutment 38 . fig4 is an exploded perspective view from the front of the system unit 10 . this shows a motherboard 40 that is mounted on a horizontal mounting plane 41 within the chassis 11 . mounted on the motherboard 40 are between one and four processor modules 42 . a riser card 44 can receive a plurality of dual in - line memory modules ( dimms ) 46 . further dimms 46 can be received directly in slots in the motherboard . a slideable carriage 48 is provided for receiving one or more media drives . as shown in fig4 the slideable carriage 48 can receive up to two media drives . in the present instance , two media drives including a digital audio tape ( dat ) drive 50 and a cd - rom drive 52 are provided . appropriately configured metal cover plates 54 and 56 are provided for the media drives 50 and 52 . a disc bay assembly 58 provides a small computer system interface ( scsi ) backplane and cables for receiving one or more scsi media drives , such as a scsi disc drive 60 . although , in the present instance , the drives are controlled via a scsi - type interface , it will be appreciated that another media drive interface ( e . g ., ide ) could be used . a scsi card ( not shown ) is located within the chassis to the front of the motherboard . a bezel ( decor panel ) 62 is provided for covering ventilation holes 63 in the front wall 12 of the chassis 11 . a bezel 64 is provided for covering the media drives 50 , 52 and 60 . a fan control module 66 controls the operation of processor fans 68 and system fans 70 . a power sub - assembly that includes a power sub - frame 72 with a power distribution board assembly , is provided for receiving three separate power supply units 74 . an alarms module in the form of an alarms card 78 enables the signalling of alarms to the outside world , and is also connected to an led card 2 for signalling alarms locally on the front of the unit 10 . a power switch 82 is also provided on the front surface of the unit 10 . fig4 also illustrates one pci card 84 to be received within a pci slot 85 on the motherboard 40 . fig5 is a front view of the unit 10 showing the bezels 62 and 64 , a power and alarm panel 90 which includes the power switch 82 and a number of status light emitting diodes ( leds ) 92 . fig5 also illustrates the slots 86 and 88 for the media drives such as media drives 50 and 52 shown in fig4 . fig6 is a rear view of the unit 10 in a configuration with three dc power supply units 74 a , 74 b and 74 c . each of the power supply units 74 a , 74 b and 74 c is the same , and provides redundant power for the unit 10 . however , as will be seen later , one or more of the dc power supply units could be replaced by ac ( mains ) power supply units . the power supplies are hot swappable ( i . e ., while the system is running ), as long as they are swapped one at a time . with regard to power supply unit 74 a , it can be seen that this is provided with a handle 94 that is used for inserting and removing the power supply unit 74 a . the handle 94 includes a flange portion that is able to receive a screw 95 for securing the power supply unit to the chassis 11 . first and second power cable sockets 96 and 98 are shown . also shown is a grounding plate 100 that is secured by knurled nuts 102 , 104 and 106 to grounding studs 103 , 105 and 107 . grounding stud 103 provides a connection directly to the chassis 11 of the unit 10 . grounding studs 105 and 107 , on the other hand are electrically isolated from the chassis by an insulating board and are instead connected to logic ground ( i . e . the ground of the electronic circuitry ). by means of the grounding plate 100 , logic ground can be connected directly to chassis ground . the provision of this grounding plate provides for optional tying of logic ground to chassis ground . it will be noted that each of the power supply units 74 is provided with a similar grounding plate 100 , for connection to corresponding grounding studs . if it is desired to isolate logic ground from chassis ground , it is necessary to remove the grounding plate 100 from each of the power supply units 74 a , 74 b and 74 c . an isolated ground system is needed in some telco applications when operating in a regional bell operating company ( rboc ) mode . when operating in such a mode , the chassis and logic ground are connected at a remote location to provide , for example , lightning protection . in this case two - hole lugs 101 having a pair of holes 111 to fit over the pair of grounding studs 105 and 107 are provided for each of the power supply units 74 and are secured over the studs using nuts 104 and 106 . a similar two - hole lug 101 is secured to the grounding studs 108 and is secured with similar nuts . earthing wires 109 from each of the two - hole lugs 101 on the power units and the chassis then are taken to the remote , earthing location . the studs 103 105 , 107 and 108 are of a standard thread size ( m 5 ). the studs 105 / 107 and the studs 108 are at a standard separation ( 15 . 85 mm ). the studs 105 / 107 are selfretaining in the insulated board on the power supply units . the stud 103 is self - retaining in the casing of its power supply unit 74 . the suds 108 are also self - retaining in the system unit chassis . in a non - isolated ground situation , chassis ground can simply be tied to a desired ground potential ( for example , to the racking system ) by connecting a grounding cable to grounding studs 108 provided on the rear of the chassis . a further earth connection is provided via the power cables for the power supplies . fig6 also illustrates rear ventilation holes 110 through which air is vented from the system . fig6 also shows the alarms module 78 with a serial connector 112 enabling connection of the alarms module to a network for the communication of faults and / or for diagnostic operations on the unit 10 to be performed from a remote location . fig6 also shows a number of pci cards 84 received within respective pci slots 116 . a number of further external connections 114 are provided for connection of serial connections , parallel connections and scsi connections , and for the connection of a keyboard or a twisted - pair ethernet ( tpe ) connector . fig7 is a plan view of the motherboard 40 shown in fig4 . four cpu module slots 120 are provided . each of these slots is able to receive one processor module 42 , and any number between one and four slots may be occupied by a processor module 42 . a connector arrangement 122 is provided for receiving a riser card 44 as shown in fig4 . also , connectors 124 ( in four banks ) are provided for receiving dimms 46 as mentioned with reference to fig4 . edge connectors 126 are provided for connecting the motherboard to connectors mounted on the mounting plane 41 . also shown in fig7 is the slot 128 for the alarms module 78 and various ports 130 for the connectors 114 shown in fig6 . fig8 is a schematic overview of the computer architecture of the system 10 . as shown in fig8 various components within the system are implemented through application - specific integrated circuits ( asics ). the system is based round a ultrasparc port architecture ( upa ) bus system that uses a peripheral component interconnect ( pci ) protocol for an i / o expansion bus . the cpu modules 40 . 0 , 40 . 1 , 40 . 2 , 40 . 3 , and a upa - to - pci ( u 2 p ) asic 154 communicate with each other using the upa protocol . the cpu modules 40 and the u 2 p asic 154 are configured as upa master - slave devices . an address router ( ar ) asic 154 routes upa request packets through the upa address bus and controls the flow of data to and from memory 150 using a data router ( dr ) asic 144 and a switching network 148 . the ar asic 154 provides system control . it controls the upa interconnect between the major system components and main memory . the dr asic 144 is a buffered memory crossbar device that acts as a bridge between six system unit buses . the six system unit buses include two processor buses , a memory data bus and to i / o buses . the dr asic 144 provides crossbar functions , memory port decoupling , burst transfer and first - in - first - out ( fifo ) data read functions . clock control for the operation of the processor is provided by a reset , interrupt , scan and clock ( risc ) asic 152 . the pci bus is a high performance 32 - bit or 64 - bit bus with multiplexed address and data lines . the pci bus provides electrical interconnection between highly integrated peripheral controller components , peripheral add - on devices , and the processor - memory system . a one - slot pci bus 155 connects to a pci device 156 . 0 . a three - slot pci bus connects to three pci slots 156 . 1 , 156 . 2 and 156 . 3 . two controllers are also connected to the second pci bus 157 . these include a scsi controller 174 and a pci - t 0 - ebus / ethernet controller ( pcio ) 158 . the scsi controller 174 provides electrical connection between the motherboard and separate internal and external scsi buses . the controller also provides for scsi bus control . the pcio 158 connects the pci bus to the ebus . this enables communication between the pci bus and all miscellaneous i / o functions as well as the connection to slower , on board functions . thus , the pcio enables the connection to an ethernet connection via a transmit / receive ( tx / rx ) module 161 and a network device ( nd ) module 162 an ebus 2 159 provides a connection to various i / o devices and internal components . super i / o 164 is a commercial off - the - shelf component that contains two serial port controllers for keyboard and mouse , an ieee 1284 parallel port interface and an ide disk interface . the super i / o drives the various ports directly with some electromagnetic interference filtering on the keyboard and parallel port signals . the alarms module 78 interfaces with the motherboard and provides various alarm functions . the nvram / tod 168 provides non - volatile read only memory and the time of day function . serial port 170 provides a variety of functions . modem connection to the serial port 170 enables access to the internet . synchronous x . 25 modems can be used for telecommunications in europe . an ascii text window is accessible through the serial port on non - graphics systems . low speed printers , button boxes ( for computer aided design applications ) and devices that function like a mouse are also accessible through the serial port . the serial port includes a serial port controller , line drivers and line receivers . a one - mbyte flash programmable read only memory ( prom ) 172 provides read only memory for the system . fig9 is a perspective rear view of the system 10 showing the withdrawal and / or insertion of a power supply unit 74 in a non - isolated ground situation . in this example , ac power supply units 74 are shown . it can be seen that the power supply unit 74 is provided with the handle 94 . as shown in fig9 the handle 94 is provided with a grip 184 , a pivot 182 and a latch 180 . to insert the power supply unit 74 it is necessary to slide the power supply unit into the power sub - frame 72 with the grip 184 of the handle 94 slightly raised so that the detent 180 can be received under the top 184 of the power sub - frame 72 . as the power supply unit 74 reaches the end of its movement into the power sub - frame 72 , connectors ( not shown ) provided on the power supply unit 74 make connection with a corresponding connector on the power distribution board at the rear of the power sub - frame 72 . also , at this time , the handle can be pushed down into the position shown in fig9 . this causes the detent 180 to latch behind the upper portion 184 of the power sub - frame 72 . the handle 94 can then be secured in place by tightening the screw 95 . the ac power supply unit 74 shown in fig9 has a single power socket 97 , whereas the dc power supply units 74 shown in fig6 have two power sockets 96 and 98 . irrespective of whether the arrangement is as shown in fig6 with two dc power sockets 96 and 98 , or as shown in fig9 with one ac power socket 97 , the configuration of the power socket ( s ) and the lever 94 is such that the lever cannot be moved , and therefore the power supply unit cannot be released from the power sub - frame 72 and the chassis 11 with a plug 186 of a power cable 188 in place in one of the power sockets 96 / 97 / 98 . the removal operation is achieved by releasing the screw 95 , removing the power plug , and lifting and pulling on the handle 94 . in an isolated ground situation , in order to hot - swap a power supply unit 74 , it is merely necessary to remove the two - hole lug 101 with its connecting earth wire 109 from the studs 105 , 107 of the power supply unit to be removed , to remove the old power supply unit 74 , to replace a new power supply unit 74 and then to reconnect the two - hole lug 101 and connecting earth wire 109 to the studs 105 , 107 of the new power supply unit 74 . these operations can all be performed with the system under power from the other power supply units 74 and with the two - hole lugs 101 and earth wires 109 in place over the chassis studs 108 and the studs 105 , 107 of the other power supply units 74 . the isolated ground situation is not shown in fig6 and 9 . in the non - isolated ground situation shown in fig6 and 9 , hot - swapping of a power supply unit is even easier , as it is merely necessary to remove the selected power supply unit 74 and to replace it with the new power supply unit 74 . fig1 a , 10 b , 10 c and 10 d are rear , top , front and perspective views of a power sub - frame for receiving three power supply units : the power sub - frame 72 comprises a rectangular , box - shaped frame 191 , with four exterior walls on four sides ( the top , bottom and two lateral surfaces ), one open side 195 for receiving three power supply units and a power distribution circuit board 190 opposite to the open side . in the present instance , the walls are made of electroless nickel - plated mild steel . fig1 a shows the power distribution board at the “ rear ” of the power sub - frame ( i . e . opposite to the open side ). when inserted in the chassis of the system unit , this “ rear ” of the power sub - frame is actually the forward - most side of the power sub - frame when viewed with respect to the system unit . the power distribution board 190 is formed with ventilation holes 194 and carries circuit tracks and components ( not shown ). fig1 a also illustrates the flanges 198 with screw holes 199 for securing the power sub - frame to the rear chassis wall . fig1 b shows the top of power sub - frame . it will be noted that the power sub - frame body 196 is provided with apertures 197 for lightness and for ventilation purposes . fig1 c shows the open ( front ) side 195 ( see fig1 b ) of the power sub - frame . when inserted in the chassis of the system unit , this “ front ” of the power sub - frame is actually the rear - most side of the power sub - frame when viewed with respect to the system unit . within the power sub - frame 72 , connectors 192 a , 192 b and 192 c for the three power supply units 74 a , 74 b and 74 c , respectively , can be seen . these connectors are mounted on the power distribution board 190 inside the power sub - frame 72 . fig1 c also shows the flanges 198 with screw holes 199 for securing the power sub - frame to the rear chassis wall . fig1 d is a perspective view of the power sub - frame 72 , which shows that this in fact forms part of a power sub - assembly 71 . internal walls 200 separate three compartments , each for a respective one of the three power supply units 74 . cables 202 connect standby power and signal lines from the power distribution board 190 to a connector 204 for connection to an alarms module . cables 206 connect main power and signal lines from the power distribution board 190 to various connectors 208 , 210 , 212 and 214 . fig1 e shows the various connector types 192 , 204 , 208 , 210 , 212 and 214 and the electrical signal connections thereto . fig1 is a schematic representation of some of the logic connections on the power distribution board . for ease of explanation , only those connections relevant for an understanding of the present invention are described . at the left of fig1 , the three connectors 192 a , 192 b and 192 c for the three power supply units 74 a , 74 b and 74 c are shown . for reasons of clarity and convenience only those connections relevant for an understanding of the present invention as shown . for example , as illustrated with respect to fig1 e , the connectors 192 have many pins and pass many signals via respective lines . however , as not all of these lines are necessary for an understanding of the present invention , and as it would be confusing to illustrate all of the signal pathways on a diagram , only selected pathways are shown in fig1 . it is to be noted from fig1 e , that the power supply units output ground , + 3v 3 ,+ 5v , + 12v , − 12v and + 5v standby potentials as well as control signals such as psu ok , psu on , etc . the + 5v standby voltage is used for powering the alarm module 78 . the other voltages are for powering the motherboard and other main system components . the various lines could be configured using bus bars , wires , printed circuit or thick film conductors as appropriate . firstly , the two - of - three circuit 232 will be explained . this circuit is powered by the + 5v standby voltage 231 provided from each of the power supply units 74 . each of the power supply units outputs a psu ok signal via a pin on its respective connector to a corresponding psu ok line 230 a , 230 b and 230 c when the power supply unit is operating correctly . each of these psu ok lines 230 is connected to the two - of - three circuit 232 . this comprises three and gates 234 , 236 and 238 , each for comparing a respective pair of the psu ok signals . the outputs of the and gates are supplied to an or gate 240 . if the output of this or gate is true , then at least two of the power supply units 74 are operating correctly , and power can be supplied to the motherboard of the computer system . this can be achieved by closing the main power line 245 . an output signal 242 could be supplied to a gate 244 ( for example a power fet ) to enable current to pass to the motherboard and other system components . additionally , or alternatively , a power ok signal 246 for controlling some other form of switch mechanism ( not shown ). if alternatively the output of the or gate 242 is false , then this indicates less than two of the power supply units 74 are operative . in this case power is prevented from being passed to the motherboard 40 of the computer system . this can be achieved by interrupting the main power line 245 . an output signal 242 could be supplied to a gate 244 ( for example a power fet ) to prevent current being passed to the motherboard and other system components . additionally , or alternatively , a power fault signal 246 could be passed to the alarms module and / or for controlling some other form of switch mechanism ( not shown ). one - of - three power control is effectively provided by the alarms module 78 to be described later . however , with reference to fig1 , input a / b signals 268 and output sense signals 270 are passed to the alarms module for standby operation , and control signals 272 could be returned for turning off of a power supply unit , if required . fig1 further illustrates a protection circuit 256 that is able to detect an overcurrent representative of a current greater than 2 * imax , where imax is the maximum current that can be output by a power supply , 2 * imax being the maximum current which should be required by the system unit . if a current greater than 2 * imax is detected , this is representative of a fault in the system unit . in accordance with telco requirements , in such a situation the system should be powered down . by providing for overcurrent detection on the power distribution board , where the maximum drawable current should be 2 * imax , it is possible to test for a fault at a lower overall current than if this test were made within each power supply unit . if the test were made in each power supply unit , each power supply unit would need to be tested for an overcurrent in excess of imax , whereby one would be testing for a total current drain of 3 * imax . this could lead to faults not being detected or not detected early enough and the system could incorrectly be drawing up to 3 * imax , which could damage components and traces ( tracks ). thus , as shown in fig1 , each of the main power lines ( e . g ., + 12v ) 250 a , 250 b and 250 c from the power supply units 74 a , 74 b and 74 c , respectively is connected to form a common power supply line 254 . an overcurrent detector 258 detects a current in excess of 2 * imax . if such a current is detected ( for example as a result of a fault represented by the box 266 ), then a signal 261 is provided to the connectors 192 , a , 192 b and 192 c for shutting down the power supplies 74 a , 74 b and 74 c , respectively . also , a signal 262 is passed to a switchable shunt 260 ( e . g ., a silicon controlled rectifier ( scr ), a metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor ( mosfet ), an insulated gate bipolar transistor ( igbp ), etc ) to shunt the power supply line 254 to ground . this will cause any energy stored in the power supplies and also in the system ( for example as represented by the capacitor 264 ) to drain to ground , thus protecting the system . the use of the two - of - three circuit described above means that redundant power supply operation is provided in that the system can remain powered even if one of the three power supply units fails . as only two - of - three power supply units are needed to power the system the third power supply unit can be hot swapped while the other two power supply units power the system . fig1 illustrates the location of an alarms card forming the alarms module 78 in the rear of the system unit 10 . fig1 is a functional block diagram for illustrating the alarm sub - system on the alarms module 78 . the alarms sub - system provides lights out management or remote management of the system over a serial connection . the alarms module 78 interfaces with the motherboard through an ebus edge connector slot 298 ( connected to ebus2 as shown in fig8 ). a pci - style bracket is attached to one edge of the alarms module ( as seen in fig1 ) and provides the external interfaces at the rear of the chassis 11 . internal interfaces provide connections to the power supply assembly and to the led card 80 located at the front panel of the system unit 10 . the alarms module is powered by the standby , or reserve , power supply . the alarms module only requires power from a single power supply to remain operable . accordingly , the alarms module can remain operable even in a situation where the system has been powered down due to there being only one power supply unit operable . the alarms sub - system comprises a logic device 280 which receives inputs 298 from the ebus , inputs 286 from the fans , input 290 from general purpose events , input 270 from the power supply unit output rails and inputs 268 from the a and b power inlets . the logic circuit samples , or multiplexes , the inputs to the microcontroller 296 in response to multiplex signals from the microcontroller 296 . the microcontroller 296 processes the sampled ( multiplexed ) inputs . the microcontroller 296 provides power control signals 272 for controlling the power supply units , and alarm outputs for the output of alarm signals . the microcontroller 296 also outputs power supply unit status signals 304 and fault signals 306 . the micro controller 296 can further output a system reset signal 310 , when required . alarm signals to be passed to a remote location can pass via a remote serial connection 112 . diagnostic and remote control signals can be passed from the network via the serial connection 112 to the microcontroller 296 . control signals can thus be provided via the remote serial connection over the network for powering on and powering off the system . examples of other commands that can be sent to the microcontroller via the remote serial connection 112 are to turn alarms off , to reset the monitoring of all failures , to display the status of all fans , power supply units , alarms and fault light emitting diodes ( leds ), to display an event log , etc . the microcontroller is programmed to report any fan failures or changes in power supply units status by means of the leds 92 ( fig5 ) on the system front and optionally to report the faults via the remote serial connection 112 . the microcontroller 296 is programmed to maintain the event log that was referenced above . fig1 illustrates the configuration of the fan control module 66 shown in fig4 . the fan control module is subdivided into two halves 66 a and 66 b . one half 66 a handles one processor fan 68 a and one system fan 70 b and the other half 66 b handles the other processor fan 68 band the other system fan 70 b . the fans are connected to the fan control module 66 by respective power lines 320 so that the fans receive their power via the fan control module . the fan control module receives + 12v power via power lines 324 a / b from the power distribution board 190 and supplies voltages to the fans via the power lines 320 in a controlled manner . for convenience , tacho ( speed ) signals from the fans pass via the alarms control module 66 . the speed signals are not processed by the fan control module , but are instead forwarded via tacho sense 326 to the power distribution board 190 . the power distribution board then routes the tacho sense signals to the alarms module 78 to form the signals 286 shown in fig1 . this routing is convenient as it enables simpler wiring looms to be used . also , when replacing a fan unit , the maintenance engineer only needs to remove a single bundle of wires from the fan to the fan control module 66 , rather than having to locate a number of different connectors connected to the fan . the fan control module thus has four fan connectors , each for receiving a connector connected to a bundle of wiring from a respective fan , plus a further connector for receiving a connector with a bundle of wires from the power distribution board . as shown in fig1 , each half 66 a / 66 b of the fan control module receives respective power lines 324 a / b from the power distribution board . each half of the fan control module includes electrical noise isolation circuitry 340 a / b . this electrical noise isolation circuitry 325 a / b , which can be of conventional construction , prevents dirty power signals on the lines 320 a / b caused by electrical noise from the fans being passed back along the power lines 324 a / b and potentially contaminating the otherwise clean power supply to the electronics of the system unit ( e . g ., the components on the scsi bus . the provision of clean power supply signals in a telco application is important in order to ensure reliability of operation . although in the present example the noise isolation circuitry is located in the fan control module , it could be located elsewhere as long as it is effective to isolate the main power lines from fan - related electrical noise . as further shown in fig1 , each side 66 a / b of the fan control module comprises control logic 342 a / b which receives a temperature signal from a temperature sensor 344 and adjusts the speed of the fans by adjusting the voltage supplied thereto in accordance with pre - programmed parameters in order to provide a desired degree of cooling . the control logic 342 a / b can be implemented by an asic , a programmable logic array , or any other appropriate programmable logic . alternatively , it could be implemented by software running on a microcontroller or microprocessor module . it should be noted that the fan control module could be implemented in a unitary manner , rather than being divided into two halves . although in the present instance the fan control module is preferably configured on a single circuit board , this need not be the case . also , although the temperature sensor is also mounted on the same circuit board , it could be mounted elsewhere . moreover , although it is preferred that a single temperature sensor is used , with the advantage that the fan speeds of the respective fans can be ramped up in parallel in a controlled manner , more than one temperature sensor could be used . ideally , in this case they would be located close together and control of the individual fans could be dependent on individual signals but would more preferably be dependent on a function of some or all of the temperature signals . as a further feature , the control logic could be provided with different sets of programmed parameters depending on the number of processors present and could be responsive to the number of processors present . it will be appreciated that although particular embodiments of the invention have been described , many modifications / additions and / or substitutions may be made within the spirit and scope of the present invention . accordingly , the particular example described is intended to be illustrative only , and not limitative .
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in its basic variant , the arrangement according to the invention comprises a vacuum chamber 1 , a target generator 2 which generates a bundle of parallel target jets 3 by means of a nozzle 21 having a plurality of individual orifices 22 , and an excitation radiation source 4 which is focused orthogonally on the target jets 3 and forms a radiation spot 41 over all of the target jets 3 . the target jets 3 enter the vacuum chamber 1 through the individual orifices 22 of the nozzle 21 . in the vacuum chamber 1 , they are converted into plasma by bombardment with high - energy excitation radiation from the radiation source 1 which delivers an energy beam 42 ( laser beam , electron beam or ion beam ) and irradiates all of the target jets 3 simultaneously . the plasma emits light in the relevant spectral region , preferably in the extreme violet ( euv ) region . the target jets 3 are liquid when they enter the vacuum chamber 1 , but can be liquid , continuous bet ), discontinuous ( droplet flow ) or solid ( frozen ) in the area of interaction with the energy beam 42 . one possibility consists in using liquefied gases , preferably xenon for generating euv . other possible target materials are metallic salts in aqueous solution . solid target jets 3 are generated by suitably cooled target material in that the target jets are frozen when entering the vacuum chamber 1 and are brought in this state into the area of interaction with the energy beam . the amount of target material available for an individual pulse of the energy beam 42 and , therefore , the optimal individual pulse energy for the generation of euv radiation is higher by a factor corresponding to the quantity of individual orifices 22 of the nozzle 21 at the identical exit speed of the target material and identical diameter of the individual orifices 22 compared to a conventional single - channel nozzle . in this example , the orifices 22 are arranged in such a way that the transmission losses for the incident energy beam 42 are minimal , i . e ., the entire focused radiation spot 41 is completely covered by the target jets 3 arranged on gaps . this can be achieved , e . g ., in that the individual orifices are arranged so as to be spatially offset . in principle , a kind of “ watering can nozzle ” with orifices 22 arranged in a defined manner is used according to the invention . however , its peculiarity consists in that there are no nozzle orifices 22 which are arranged one behind the other or which substantially overlap in the direction of the energy beam 42 . due to the expansion of the diameters of the target jets 3 during conversion into plasma , even small gaps can remain between the target jets 3 in the projection of the radiation spot 41 of the energy beam 42 . fig2 shows four essential variants of the arrangement of orifices 22 of the nozzle 21 in partial views a to d . fig2 a is a top view showing a pattern of orifices 22 as an arrangement of two parallel rows 23 which are offset relative to one another by half of the spacing of the orifices 22 within each row 23 . with three parallel rows 23 , the offset would be decreased to a third of the spacing of the orifices 22 as will be described more fully in the following with reference to fig4 . in another variant according to fig2 b , two rows 23 are arranged at opposite angles to the incident direction 43 of the energy beam 42 . the two rows 23 share an orifice 22 of the nozzle 21 , and the intersection 24 of the two rows 23 is given by this orifice 22 at the same time . the angle relative to the incident direction 43 of the energy beam 42 is identical in terms of amount for both rows 23 and varies depending on the diameter of the orifices 22 and a ( possibly intentional ) gap formation or slight overlapping of the exiting target jets 3 in the projection of the radiation spot 41 ( as is shown in fig1 ). the pattern of orifices 22 corresponds to a v - shape which can be oriented with the intersection 24 of the rows 23 ( i . e ., with the tip of the v ) in the direction of the energy beam 42 as is shown in fig2 b or can be oriented opposite to the incident energy beam 42 . fig2 c shows a possibility in which the orifices 22 are arranged in only one row 23 . in order to avoid gaps between the target jets 3 , the row 23 is inclined by an angle relative to the incident direction 43 of the energy beam 42 according to the same criteria as in fig2 b . in case gaps between the target jets 3 are permissible or desirable ( see , e . g ., the statements referring to fig6 ), the angle can be very large or exactly 90 °. otherwise , the selected angle is preferably around 45 °. finally , without implying any lack of further possibilities , fig2 d shows a combination of the nozzle patterns from fig2 a and fig2 b . this arrangement can be described as parallel rows 23 arranged one behind the other with different distances between the orifices 22 or also as v - shapes which continue transverse to the energy beam 42 . in essence , however , the pattern is more accurately described as a zigzag pattern oriented transverse to the incident direction 43 of the energy beam 42 . here , two parallel families 25 and 26 of orifices 22 arranged in the direction opposite to the incident direction 43 of the energy beam 42 intersect , and the intersection points 24 are shared orifices 22 as was already described with respect to the v - shape . one possibility for coupling energy into the target consists in that the target jets 3 generated by the multiple - channel nozzle 21 are irradiated by a laser as energy beam 42 in such a way that the radiation spot 41 corresponding to the laser focus ( also often called the laser waist ) is at least as large as the width of the entire bundle of target jets 3 ( shown in fig3 ). in a case such as that described above , fig4 shows the top view of a nozzle 21 with three parallel rows 23 of orifices 22 arranged one behind the other and the impinging light cone 44 , shown schematically , of the laser waist as focused part of the energy beam 42 . as is clearly shown , the rows 23 are each displaced in a parallel manner by about one third of the ( uniform ) distance between the orifices 22 without overlapping of the target jets 3 exiting therefrom in the light cone 44 . however , due to the expansion of the diameters of the target jets 3 when converted into plasma , small gaps can also remain between the target jets 3 in the projection of the radiation spot 41 of the energy beam 42 . this ensures that all of the target jets 3 receive the same radiation output of the energy beam 42 and are accordingly optimally excited and can be converted into plasma . strictly speaking , the excitation of the target jets 3 is quasi - simultaneous because the target jets 3 from the rear rows 23 of nozzle orifices 22 are actually reached later by the pulse of the energy beam 42 in the propagation direction of the energy beam 42 . however , this may be ignored as it relates to plasma generation and will be described as simultaneous hereinafter . the plasmas ( not shown ) generated from the target jets 3 merge as a result of the simultaneous excitation of all target jets 3 into one extended plasma with multiplied radiation power ( corresponding to the quantity of target jets 3 ) in the desired wavelength region ( e . g ., euv radiation ) if other known factors of the energy input ( radiation power per target mass , optimized excitation through suitable temporal pulse shape , etc .) for the individual mass - limited target jets 3 are chosen . in fig5 , the radiation spot 41 for the plasma generation in the entire bundle of target jets 3 is generated by spatial multiplexing in which the excitation radiation comprises a plurality of individual beams 45 in a linear row arrangement 46 which are combined from a plurality of identical lasers or , through beam splitting , from one to a few lasers and bombard the target synchronously with respect to time . this has the advantage that the pulse energy of the individual laser does not need to be as high as in the case of a laser with a large diameter of the focused radiation spot 41 . as a result , the foci of the individual beams 45 are arranged one above the other spatially and form a type of line focus 47 . on the other hand , adjacent focusing of individual beams 45 of lasers is also worthy of consideration insofar as — corresponding to the view in fig6 — every target jet 3 is struck by exactly one individual beam 45 , so that the arrangement of target jets 3 without gaps is less critical in the design of the nozzle 21 and the orifices 22 can be arranged in only one row . this is important particularly for applications in which the character of a point light source should not be dispensed with for the resulting radiation . in this case , the desired radiation should be coupled out of the plasma orthogonal to the direction of the target jets 3 and to the incident direction 43 of the individual beams 45 . consequently , the transmission losses and accordingly also the in - coupling losses for an individual row 23 of orifices 22 in the nozzle 21 can be minimized in that the individual target jets 3 are irradiated synchronously by a respective individual beam 45 ( of a laser ). in addition , the coupling of energy into the target is improved in that a smaller pre - pulse is radiated into the target jets 3 prior in time to the main energy pulse , so that a so - called pre - plasma is “ smeared ” over the width of the target jets 3 which are arranged at a distance from one another . the energy of the main pulse can be coupled into this pre - plasma very effectively , so that the transmission losses of excitation radiation are minimized in spite of the use of individual target jets 3 and the generation of radiation from the plasma is extensively homogeneous . as can be seen from the view according to fig7 , it is likewise possible and useful to employ a true line focus 47 for the irradiation of the target jets 3 . the line focus 47 can be generated during laser excitation , e . g ., simply by means of cylindrical optics . a line focus 47 of this kind , particularly for large - area bundles of target jets 3 resulting in large - area plasma , can have considerable importance when the homogeneity of the plasma is important for generation of radiation , since a uniform energy input into each target jet 3 is carried out in this configuration . fig8 shows yet another variant of the arrangement of target jets 3 using a nozzle 21 , according to fig2 c , in which there are no transmission losses of excitation radiation in an individual energy beam 42 . although there is only a single row 23 of orifices 22 of the nozzle 21 and the row 23 between the orifices 22 must compulsorily have spaces , the absence of gaps in the bundle of target jets 3 is brought about in this case in that the row 23 of nozzle orifices 22 encloses an angle a with the normal plane 48 of the incident energy beam 42 , so that the spacing present per se between the orifices 22 of the nozzle 21 does not appear in the projection of the radiation spot 41 of the excitation radiation on the bundle of target jets 3 that is rotated in this manner . therefore , through selection of the angle α , the transmission losses can be minimized in a suitable manner or the area - dependent coupling in of energy can be adjusted to a maximum . further , as an added advantage , a larger area of the radiating plasma results also orthogonal to the directions of the target jets 3 and energy beam 42 . other design variants of the invention ( particularly with respect to the nozzle variations according to fig2 a to 2 d ) are readily possible without departing from the framework of this invention . the examples described above were based on parallel target jets 3 which are arranged without gaps and which enable relatively large target masses while retaining mass limitation . further , other possible configurations with intersecting or overlapping target jets or a plurality of bundles of target jets 3 from variously positioned nozzles are not outside the scope of the invention . in particular , nozzle shapes and target arrangements which are not shown or described explicitly in the drawings are also to be considered as clearly belonging to the teaching according to the invention provided that they rely on the principle of multiplication of the radiation yield through the use of a plurality of mass - limited targets and the synchronous excitation thereof without inventive activity . while the foregoing description and drawings represent the present invention , it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made therein without departing from the true spirit and scope of the present invention .
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the present invention will be illustrated in further detail hereinafter referring to examples . however , this invention will not be restricted to these examples . cases in which needle - shaped crystals of aluminum borate ( 9al 2 o 3 . 2b 2 o 3 ) is generated sintered alumina which has the 50 % average particle diameters , the ranges of the particle size and the shape factors of 105 , 130 and 165 as shown in table 1 was employed as aggregate particles . 12 parts by weight of binders composed of 50wt % of b 2 o 3 , 30wt % of al 2 o 3 , 15wt % of cao and 5wt % of mgo were added to 100 parts by weight of the aggregate particles ; and the resulting mixture was mixed with organic binders and water . next , the resultant mixture thus obtained was formed into cylindrical shaped bodies which had 100 mm φ of outer diameter , 60 mm φ of inner diameter and 900 mm of length , followed by drying at 105 ° c . and then heated to 1350 ° c . and kept at 1350 ° c . for 3 hours . subsequently , the shaped bodies were gradually cooled down until crystallization was completed ( specifically , with cooling speed of 50 ° c ./ hr to 800 ° c . ), whereby cylindrical filters media were obtained . if rapid cooling was employed after sintering , using binder of even the same composition as mentioned above , crystals would not be generated on the surface of the binder . average pore diameters of the filters obtained and the occupying rate of minute pores whose diameters were less than 50 % of the average pore diameters were examined . through these filters aluminum hot melt having predetermined debris diameters and quantites was passed , and then the debris were measured . thus debris catching ability of each sample was obtained . the cross sections of the aluminum were polished precisely and diameters and numbers of debris were measured with a scanning electron microscope ( sem ); average values from test pieces were determined from 10 cross section taken . the results are given in table 1 . nos . 5 , 7 , 8 , 10 , 12 , 14 , 15 are the cases being outside the scope of the present invention . table 1__________________________________________________________________________ no . 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8__________________________________________________________________________ aggregate particles 50 % average particle 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 diam . ( μm ) particle size range ± 50 % ± 50 % ± 50 % ± 50 % ± 50 % ± 50 % ± 50 % ± 50 % shape factor : 105 100 100 50 0 0 0 0 0 shape factor : 130 0 0 0 100 100 50 0 0 shape factor : 165 0 0 50 0 0 50 100 100 binder : form crystal glass crystal crystal glass crystal crystal glass result average pore diam . ( μm ) 198 200 200 203 205 199 195 198 minute pore amt . 0 0 2 0 0 5 20 22debriscatching abilitydebris originaldiam . ( μm ) amt100 & lt ; 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0100 ˜ 50 25 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 50 ˜ 10 32 1 5 4 5 5 6 10 20 10 ˜ 5 35 3 8 6 5 10 7 13 22 5 ˜ 1 18 3 7 7 10 10 8 10 17 1 & gt ; 8 2 3 2 3 5 3 5 8__________________________________________________________________________ no . 9 10 11 12 13 14 15__________________________________________________________________________ aggregate particles 50 % average particle 1000 1000 710 710 1400 1400 1000 diam . ( μm ) particle size range ± 30 % ± 70 % ± 50 % ± 50 % ± 50 % ± 50 % ± 70 % shape factor : 105 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 shape factor : 130 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 shape factor : 165 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 binder : form crystal glass crystal glass crystal glass crystal result average pore diam . ( μm ) 200 195 157 163 238 240 195 minute pore amt . 1 15 3 2 2 2 15debriscatching abilitydebris originaldiam . ( μm ) amt100 & lt ; 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0100 ˜ 50 25 0 0 0 0 1 3 0 50 ˜ 10 32 2 7 0 0 8 10 5 10 ˜ 5 35 4 15 1 2 15 15 8 5 ˜ 1 18 3 10 3 5 6 8 8 1 & gt ; 8 3 5 2 1 6 7 3__________________________________________________________________________ cases in which needle - shape crystals of mullite ( 3al 2 o 3 . 2sio 2 ) is generated sintered alumina which has the 50 % average particle diameters , and the ranges of the particle size as shown in table 2 was employed as aggregate particles . 10 parts by weight of binders composed of 72wt % of al 2 o 3 , 28wt % of sio 2 were added to 100 parts by weight of the aggregate particles ; the resulting mixture was then mixed with organic binders and water . next the resultant mixture thus obtained was formed into plates being 300 mm × 300 mm × 20 mm with an oil - hydraulic press , followed by drying , and then sintered at 1650 ° c . thus filters were obtained . average pore diameters of the filters obtained and the occupying rate of minute pores whose diameters were less than 50 % of the average pore diameters were examined . further , debris catching ability was measured in the same way as example 1 . the results were given in table 2 . table 2__________________________________________________________________________no . 1 2 3 4 5__________________________________________________________________________ aggregate particle 50 % average 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 particle diam . ( μm ) particle size range ± 50 % ± 50 % ± 50 % ± 50 % ± 50 % shape factor : 105 100 50 0 0 0 shape factor : 130 0 0 0 100 50 shape factor : 165 0 50 100 0 50 binder : form crystal crystal crystal crystal crystal result average pore diam . ( μm ) 185 185 190 187 185 minute pore amt . 0 3 18 1 5debriscatching abilitydebris originaldiam . μm amt . 100 & lt ; 10 0 0 0 0 0100 ˜ 50 25 0 0 0 0 0 50 ˜ 10 32 2 5 8 7 8 10 ˜ 5 35 5 6 14 6 10 5 ˜ 1 18 4 5 7 7 8 1 & gt ; 8 3 3 6 3 4__________________________________________________________________________ some of the filters obtained in example 1 , namely , nos . 1 , 3 , 6 , 7 in table 1 were taken and each of them was attached to the equipment 11 shown in fig3 . the temperature of the interior of the equipment 11 was kept at 800 ° c . and aluminum hot melt ( jis5052 ) having the temperature of 750 ° c . was poured therein until predetermined height ( h ) of the hot melt was attained . the height of the hot melt dropping from the lower surface of the filter 10 within 30 minutes -- height of impregnation -- was measured in order to evaluate each wettability of the filters and the results were given in table 3 . table 3______________________________________no . 1 3 6 7______________________________________impregnation height 200 210 220 350 ( mm ) ______________________________________ as is clear from table 1 - 3 , by using specified aggregate particles and binding materials as in the present invention , it has been found that the ability of a filter to catch minute debris can be improved and the wettability with hot melt was also increased .
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referring now to fig1 , there is shown in plan view a conventional semiconductor wafer 10 upon which a plurality of semiconductor fuel cells 12 have been fabricated . a plurality of cells may be electrically interconnected on a wafer and provided with gases to form a power chip 15 . for simplicity , fuel cells 12 and chips 15 are not shown to scale in as much as it is contemplated that at least 80 million cells may be formed on a 4 ″ wafer . one such cell is shown in fragmented cross - section in fig2 . in its simplest form , each cell 12 consists of a substrate 14 , contacts 16 a and b , and a conductive polymer base 18 formed on both sides of a first layer 20 ( a ) of non - conductive layered polymer support structure 20 and in intimate contact with the metal electrical contacts . a conductive polymer 22 with embedded catalyst particles 28 on both sides of the central structure 20 forms a pem barrier separating the hydrogen gas on the left side from the oxygen gas on the right side . etched channels 50 b and 50 a respectively for admittance of the o 2 and h 2 gas and a heatsink lid 40 over the cell 12 is also shown in fig2 . fig3 a - 3 h are a series of schematic sectional views showing the relevant fabrication details of the pem barrier 30 in several steps . fig3 a shows the bottom of a power cell channel which has been etched into the semiconductor substrate 14 . it also shows the metal contacts 16 which are responsible for conveying the electrons out of the power cell 12 to the rest of the circuitry . these metal contact are deposited by well - known photolithographic processes in the metalization phase of the semiconductor fabrication process . fig3 b shows the conductive polymer base 18 as it has been applied to the structure . base 18 is in physical / electrical contact with the metal contacts 16 and has been adapted to attract the conductive polymer 22 of the step shown in fig3 a - 3 h . fig3 c shows the nonconductive polymer base 20 ( a ) as it has been applied to the structure . it is positioned between the two conductive polymer base sites 18 and is adapted to attract the nonconductive polymer 20 . fig3 d shows a polymer resist 21 as applied to the structure . resist 21 is responsible for repelling the polymers and preventing their growth in unwanted areas . fig3 e shows the first layer 20 b of nonconductive polymer as it has been grown on its base 20 a . this is the center material of the pem barrier . it helps support the thinner outer sides 22 when they are constructed . fig3 f shows the subsequent layers of nonconductive polymer 20 which are laid down , in a layer by layer fashion to form a vertical barrier . this vertical orientation allows for area amplification . fig3 g shows the first layer 22 a of conductive polymer grown on its base 18 . this is the outside wall material with catalyst of the pem barrier . fig3 h shows the subsequent layers of conductive polymer 22 laid down , in a layer by layer fashion on to the structure . fig2 shows the completed structure after removal of the polymer resist layer 21 and the addition of lid 40 and the pre - existing sidewalls 52 left out of fig3 a - 3 h for simplicity . this resist removal may not be necessary if layer 21 was originally the passivation layer of the final step in the semiconductor fabrication process . referring now to fig2 again further details of the elements forming the fuel cell 12 will be explained . the protein exchange membrane shown generally at 30 forms a barrier between the fuel h 2 and the oxidant o 2 . the pem barrier 30 is made up of three parts of two materials . there is the first outside wall 22 b , then the center 20 , and finally the second outside wall 22 c . it is constructed with a center piece 20 of the first material in contact with the two outside walls which are both made of the second material . the material 20 forming the center piece , is preferably an ionic polymer capable of passing the hydrogen ions ( protons ) through from the hydrogen side to the oxygen side . it is electrically nonconductive so that it does not , effectively , short out the power cell across the two contacts 16 a and 16 b . it may be made of nafion ® or of a material of similar characteristics . an external load 5 as shown in dotted lines may be coupled across the contacts to extract power . the second material 22 , forming the two outside walls , is also a similar ionic polymer capable of passing the hydrogen ions . in addition , it is doped with nano catalyst particles 28 ( shown by the dots ), such as , platinum / alloy catalyst and is also electrically conductive . by embedding the catalyst particles 28 into the polymer 22 , maximum intimate contact is achieved with the pem 30 . this intimate contact provides a readily available path which allows the ions to migrate freely towards the cathode electrode 16 b . catalysis is a surface effect . by suspending the catalytic particles 28 in the polymer 22 , effective use of the entire surface area is obtained . this will dramatically increase the system efficiency . by making the second material 22 electrically conductive , an electrode is produced . the proximity of the electrode to the catalytic reaction affects how well it collects electrons . this method allows the catalytic reaction to occur effectively within the electrode itself . this intimate contact provides a readily available path which allows the electrons to migrate freely towards the anode 16 a . this will allow for the successful collection of most of the free electrons . again , this will dramatically increase the system efficiency . in addition to the electrical and chemical / functional characteristics of the pem 30 described above , there are some important physical ones , that are described below : this self assembly process allows for the construction of a more optimum pem barrier . by design it will be more efficient . first , there is the matter of forming the separate hydrogen and oxygen path ways . this requires that the pem structure to be grown / formed so that it dissects the etched channel 50 fully into two separate channels 50 a , 50 b . this means that it may be patterned to grow in the center of the channel and firmly up against the walls of the ends of the power cell . it may also be grown to the height of the channel to allow it to come into contact with an adhesive 42 on the bottom of lid 40 . second , there is the matter of forming a gas tight seal . this requires that the pem structure 30 be bonded thoroughly to the base structures 18 and 20 a , the substrate 14 and the end walls ( not shown ) of the power cell and to an adhesive 42 which coats the lid 40 . by proper choice of the polymers , a chemical bond is formed between the materials they contact in the channel . in addition to this chemical bond , there is the physical sealing effect by applying the lid 40 down on top of the pem barrier . if the height of the pem 30 is controlled correctly , the pressure of the applied lid forms a mechanical “ 0 ring ” type of self seal . growing the pem 30 on the substrate 14 eliminates any fine registration issues when combining it with the lid 40 . there are no fine details on the lid that require targeting . turning now to fig4 , there is shown in simplified perspective an alternate embodiment of a pem barrier involving a casting / injecting process and structure . using mems machining methods three channels 60 a , 60 b and 60 c are etched into a semiconductor substrate 140 . the outside two channels 60 a and 60 c are separated from the middle channel 60 b by thin walls 70 a , 70 b . these walls have a plurality of thin slits s 1 - - - s n etched into them . the resultant tines t 1 - - - t n + 1 have a catalyst 280 deposited on them in the area of the slits . at the bottom of these thin walls 70 a , 70 b , on the side which makes up a wall of an outside channel 60 a , 60 c , a metal electrode 160 a , 160 b is deposited . a catalyst 280 is deposited on the tines after the electrodes 160 are in place . this allows the catalyst to be deposited so as to come into electrical contact and to cover to some degree , the respective electrodes 160 at their base . in addition , metal conductors 90 are deposited to connect to each electrode 160 , which then run up and out of the outside channels . a lid 400 is provided with an adhesive layer 420 which is used to bond the lid to the substrate 140 . in this way , three separate channels are formed in the substrate ; a hydrogen channel 60 a , a reaction channel 60 b , and an oxygen channel 60 c . in addition , the lid 400 has various strategically placed electrolyte injection ports or holes 500 . these holes 500 provide feed pathways that lead to an electrolyte membrane of polymer material ( not shown ) in the reaction channel 60 b only . first , the semiconductor fabrication process is formed including substrate machining and deposition of all electrical circuits . next , the lid 400 is machined and prepared with adhesive 420 . the lid 400 is bonded to the substrate 140 . then , the electrolyte ( not shown ) is injected into the structure . the thin walls 70 a , 70 b of the reaction channel 60 b serve to retain the electrolyte during its casting . the slits s 1 - - - s n allow the hydrogen and oxygen in the respective channels 60 a , 60 b access to the catalyst 280 and pem 300 . coating the tines t 1 - - - t 1 + n with a catalyst 280 in the area of the slits provides a point of reaction when the h 2 gas enters the slits . when the electrolyte is poured / injected into the reaction channel 60 b , it fills it up completely . the surface tension of the liquid electrolyte keeps it from pushing through the slits and into the gas channels , which would otherwise fill up as well . because there is some amount of pressure behind the application of the electrolyte , there will be a ballooning effect of the electrolyte &# 39 ; s surface as the pressure pushes it into the slits . this will cause the electrolyte to be in contact with the catalyst 280 which coats the sides of the slits s 1 - - - s n . once this contact is formed and the membrane ( electrolyte ) is hydrated , it will expand even further , ensuring good contact with the catalyst . the h 2 / o 2 gases are capable of diffusing into the ( very thin , i . e . 5 microns ) membrane , in the area of the catalyst . because it can be so thin it will produce a more efficient i . e . less resistance ( 12 r ) losses are low . this then puts the three components of the reaction in contact with each other . the electrodes 160 a and 160 b in electrical contact with the catalyst 280 is the fourth component and provides a path for the free electrons , through an external load ( not shown ), while the hydrogen ions pass through the electrolyte membrane to complete the reaction on the other side . referring now to the cross - sectional views of fig5 - 7 , various alternative configurations of the pem structure 30 of the invention will be described in detail . in fig5 , the central pem structure 20 is formed as a continuous nonconductive vertical element , and the electrode / catalyst 16 / 28 is a non - continuous element to which lead wires 90 are attached . fig6 is a view of an alternative pem structure in which the catalyst 28 is embedded in the non - conductive core 20 and the electrodes 16 are formed laterally adjacent the catalyst . lastly , in fig7 , the pem structure is similar to fig5 but the center core 201 is discontinuous . fig8 is a schematic block diagram showing some of the possible circuits that may be integrated along with a microcontroller onto the semiconductor wafer 10 to monitor and control multiple cells performance . several sensor circuits 80 , 82 , 84 and 86 are provided to perform certain functions . temperature circuit 80 provides the input to allow the micro processor 88 to define a thermal profile of the fuel cell 12 . voltage circuit 82 monitors the voltage at various levels of the configuration hierarchy or group of cells . this provides information regarding changes in the load . with this information , the processor 88 can adjust the system configuration to achieve / maintain the required performance . current circuit 84 performs a function similar to the voltage monitoring circuit 82 noted above . pressure circuit 86 monitors the pressure in the internal gas passages 50 a , 50 b . since the system &# 39 ; s performance is affected by this pressure , the microprocessor 88 can make adjustments to keep the system running at optimum performance based on these readings . an undefined circuit 81 is made available to provide a few spare inputs for the microprocessor 88 in anticipation of future functions . in addition , configuration circuit 94 can be used to control at least the v * i switches to be described in connection with fig9 . the output voltage and current capability is defined by the configuration of these switches . local circuitry 92 is provided as necessary to be dynamically programmed , such as the parameters of the monitoring circuits . these outputs can be used to effect that change . local subsystems 94 are used by the microprocessor 98 to control gas flow rate , defect isolation , and product removal . a local power circuit 96 is used to tap off some part of the electricity generated by the fuel cell 12 to power the onboard electronics . this power supply circuit 96 will have its own regulation and conditioning circuits . a two - wire communications i / f device 98 may be integrated onto the chip to provide the electrical interface between communicating devices and a power bus ( not shown ) that connects them . the microcontroller 8 is the heart of the integrated electronics subsystem . it is responsible for monitoring and controlling all designated system functions . in addition , it handles the communications protocol of any external communications . it is capable of “ in circuit programming ” so that its executive control program can be updated as required . it is capable of data storage and processing and is also capable of self / system diagnostics and security features . referring now to fig9 , further details of the invention are shown . in this embodiment , the individual power cells 12 1 , 12 2 - - - 12 n are formed on a wafer and wired in parallel across power buses 99 a and 99 b using transistor switches 97 which can be controlled from the microprocessor 88 of fig8 . switches 97 b and 97 a are negative and positive bus switches , respectively , whereas switch 97 c is a series switch and switches 97 d and 97 e are respective positive and negative parallel switches , respectively . this allows the individual cells or groups of cells ( power chip 15 ) to be wired in various configurations , i . e ., parallel or series . various voltages are created by wiring the cells in series . the current capacity can also be increased by wiring the cells in parallel . in general , the power profile of the power chip can be dynamically controlled to achieve or maintain a “ programmed ” specification . conversely , the chip can be configured at the time of fabrication to some static profile and , thus , eliminate the need for the power switches . by turning the switches on and off and by changing the polarity of wiring , one can produce both ac and dc power output . to implement a power management subsystem , feedback from the power generation process is required . circuitry can be formed directly on the chip to constantly measure the efficiencies of the processes . this feedback can be used to modify the control of the system in a closed loop fashion . this permits a maximum level of system efficiency to be dynamically maintained . some of these circuits are discussed next . the quality of the power generation process will vary as the demands on the system change over time . a knowledge of the realtime status of several operational parameters can help make decisions which will enable the system to self - adjust , in order to sustain optimum performance . the boundaries of these parameters are defined by the program . for example , it is possible to measure both the voltage and the current of an individual power cell or group of power cells . the power output can be monitored and , if a cell or group is not performing , it can be removed if necessary . this can be accomplished by the power switches 97 previously described . an average power level can also be maintained while moving the active “ loaded ” area around on the chip . this should give a better overall performance level due to no one area being on 100 % of the time . this duty cycle approach is especially applicable to surge demands . the concept here is to split the power into pieces for better cell utilization characteristics . it is expected that the thermal characteristics of the power chip will vary due to electrical loading and that this heat might have an adverse effect on power generation at the power cell level . adequate temperature sensing and an appropriate response to power cell utilization will minimize the damaging effects of a thermal build up . the lid 40 is the second piece of a two - piece “ power chip ” assembly . it is preferably made of metal to provide a mechanically rigid backing for the fragile semiconductor substrate 14 . this allows for easy handling and provides a stable foundation upon which to build “ power stacks ”, i . e ., a plurality of power chips 15 that are literally stacked on top of each other . the purpose being to build a physical unit with more power . fig1 illustrates how the fuel and oxidant / product channels 50 a ( and 50 b not shown ) may be etched into the surface of the substrate 14 . these troughs are three sided and may be closed and sealed on the top side . the lid 40 and adhesive 42 provides this function of forming a hermetic seal when bonded to the substrate 14 and completes the channels . a matrix of fuel supply and oxidant and product water removal channels is thereby formed at the surface of the substrate . the lid 40 provides a mechanically stable interface on which the input / output ports can be made . these are the gas supply and water removal ports . the design may encompass the size transition from the large outside world to the micrometer sized features on the substrate . this is accomplished by running the micrometer sized channels to a relatively much larger hole h . this larger hole will allow for less registration requirements between the lid and substrate . the large holes in the lid line up with the large holes in the substrate which have micrometer sized channels also machined into the substrate leading from the larger hole to the power cells . each wafer may have its own manifolds . this would require external connections for the fuel supply , oxidant and product removal . the external plumbing may require an automated docking system . fig1 and 12 illustrates one of many ways in which several cells 12 ( in this example three cells side - by - side can be formed on a wafer 14 to form a power chip 15 . power disks can be stacked vertically upon each other to form a vertical column with inlet ports , 50 hi , 50 oi coupled to sources of hydrogen and oxygen , respectively . the vertical column of wafers with power chips formed therein comprise a power stack ( 93 ). fig1 illustrates how stacking of a number of power discs 15 may be used to form power stacks ( 93 ) with appreciable power . the use of the word “ stacking ” is reasonable for it suggests the close proximity of the wafers , allowing for short electrical interconnects and minimal plumbing . in reality , the stacking actually refers to combining the electrical power of the wafers to form a more powerful unit . they need only to be electrically stacked to effect this combination . however , it is desirable to produce the most amount of power in the smallest space and with the highest efficiencies . when considering the shortest electrical interconnect ( power bussing ) alternatives , one should also consider the possibility of using two of the main manifolds as electrical power busses . this can be done by electrically isolating these manifold / electrical power buss segments and using them to convey the power from each wafer to the next . this reduces the big power wiring requirements and permits this function to be done in an automated fashion with the concomitant increased accuracy and reliability . a desirable manifold design would allow for power disc stacking . in this design the actual manifold 95 would be constructed in segments , each segment being an integral part of the lid 40 . as the discs are stacked a manifold ( tube ) is formed . this type of design would greatly reduce the external plumbing requirements . special end caps would complete the manifold at the ends of the power stack . in summary , one of the primary objects of this invention is to be able to mass produce a power chip 15 comprised of a wafer 10 containing multiple power cells 12 on each chip 15 utilizing quasi standard semiconductor processing methods . this process inherently supports very small features . these features ( power cells ), in turn , are expected to create very small amounts of power per cell . each cell will be designed to have the maximum power the material can support . to achieve any real substantially power , many millions will be fabricated on a single power chip 15 and many power chips fabricated on a “ power disc ” ( semiconductor wafer 10 ). this is why reasonable power output can be obtained from a single wafer . a 10 um × 10 um power cell would enable one million power cells per square centimeter . the final power cell topology will be determined by the physical properties of the constituent materials and their characteristics . the basic electro - chemical reaction of the solid polymer hydrogen fuel cell is most efficient at an operating temperature somewhere between 80 to 100 ° c . this is within the operating range of a common semiconductor substrate like silicon . however , if the wafers are stacked additional heatsinking may be required . since a cover is needed anyway , making the lid 40 into a heatsink for added margin makes sense . the fuel and oxidant / product channels are etched into the surface of the semiconductor substrate . these troughs are three - sided and may be closed and sealed on the top side . the lid 40 provides this function . it is coated with an adhesive to form a hermetic seal when bonded to the semiconductor substrate and completes the channels . this forms a matrix of fuel supply and oxidant and product water removal channels at the surface of the semiconductor substrate . the power cells two primary channels are themselves separated by the pem which is bonded to this same adhesive . thus , removing any fine grain critical alignment requirements . while this invention has been particularly shown and described with references to preferred embodiments thereof , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention encompassed by the appended claims . for example , while silicon because of its well - defined electrical and mechanical properties is the material of choice for the substrate 14 , other semiconductor materials may be substituted , therefore , such as gd , ge , or iii - v compounds such as gaas . alternatively , the substrate for the cell may be formed of an amorphous material such as glass or plastic , or phenolic ; in which case , the controls for the cells can be formed on a separate semiconductor die and electrically coupled to the cells to form a hybrid structure . the interface between the pem &# 39 ; s structure is preferably an assembled monolayer ( sam ) interface formed of gold , however , other metals such as silver or platinum , may be used in place thereof . likewise , although the pem is formed of many molecular chains , it preferably has a base with an affinity for gold so that it will bond to the gold sam feature . again , other pure metals such as platinum and silver may be substituted therefore .
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referring now to fig1 through 8 of the drawings , one form of an improved multiple path vortex pump , embodying the invention in one form thereof , is generally indicated at 20 and comprises a cover member 22 ( which may be of sheet steel , for example ) having a top wall 24 and an annular side wall 26 . inlet opening 28 is formed in top wall 24 coaxial with a shaft 30 of a motor 32 . annular side wall 26 of cover member 22 engages annular side wall 34 of a top casing member 36 which may be formed of cast aluminum . inner portion 38 of top casing member 36 has a hub portion 40 formed thereon in which a bearing 42 for shaft 30 is seated . annular flange 44 depends from inner portion 38 of the top casing member 36 and engages motor 32 . impeller assembly 46 comprises a rotor disc 48 which may be formed of aluminum or other suitable material and which is secured to shaft 30 by a threaded fastener 50 . centrifugal impeller 51 comprising centrifugal impeller blades 52 is mounted on the top side 54 of disc 48 as viewed in fig1 . centrifugal impeller blades 52 are connected by an annular ring 56 , formed of relatively thin sheet metal such as aluminum , which has a central opening 58 communicating with centrifugal impeller blades 52 . it will be seen that inlet opening 28 in cover member 22 admits air or other gaseous or liquid medium to centrifugal impeller 51 , as shown by arrow 60 . a vortex impeller 62 comprises a plurality of vortex impeller blades 64 and is mounted on the bottom side of disc 48 adjacent its outer periphery 70 . it will be understood that the vortex impeller blade 64 may be at an angle with respect to disc 48 although they are arranged in a perpendicular relationship in the embodiment shown in fig1 . outer periphery 70 of disc 48 and the outer ends of centrifugal impeller blades 52 are spaced from the annular side wall 26 of cover member 20 and the annular side wall 34 of top casing member 36 ; and an exhaust plenum chamber 72 for the centrifugal impeller 51 is formed adjacent a baffle member 86 . bottom casing member 74 , which may also be formed of cast aluminum , is secured to top casing member 36 , for example as by threaded fasteners 76 . annular vortex impeller channel 78 is mutually formed in top and bottom casing members 36 , 74 . inner portion 38 of top casing member 36 is joined to annular side wall 34 by diametrically opposite bridging portions 80 . partitions 82 are integrally formed on and depend from bridging portions 80 of top casing member 36 . the partitions 82 extend into and across annular vortex channel 78 . these partitions 82 divide channel 78 into two part - annular vortex channel sections 84 of equal length ( fig3 ). baffle portions 86 are respectively integrally joined to bridging portions 80 and inner portion 38 of top casing member 36 and are respectively spaced from annular side wall 34 to define passages 88 communicating between centrifugal impeller exhaust plenum chamber 72 and vortex channel sections 84 . annular slots 90 respectively communicating with vortex channel section 84 are defined between inner portion 38 and annular side wall 34 of top casing member 36 , slots 90 extending between bridging portions 80 and baffle portions 86 . vortex impeller blades 64 extend through slots 90 into vortex channel sections 84 . annular grooves 92 are respectively formed in baffle portions 86 and bridging portions 80 , vortex impeller blades 64 extending into grooves 92 . it will thus be seen that blades 64 of vortex impeller 62 move along slots 90 and grooves 92 . passages 88 respectively communicate with vortex channel sections 84 adjacent one end thereof formed by a respective partition 82 . discharge openings 94 are formed in bottom casing member 74 respectively communicating with vortex channel sections 84 adjacent the other ends thereof defined by the respective partitions 82 remote from passages 88 . partitions 82 extend into openings 94 and have curved or scoop - shaped front surfaces 96 facing opposite the direction of impeller rotation , as shown by arrows 98 ( see fig7 ). annular manifold member 100 has an annular side wall 102 engaging the bottom casing member 74 and a re - entrant flange portion 104 engaging the annular flange 44 of top casing member 36 . discharge openings 94 communicate with manifold member 100 which thus forms exhaust plenum chamber 106 for the vortex impeller section . side wall 102 of manifold member 100 has exhaust opening 108 formed therein . it will be seen that with motor 32 rotating impeller assembly 46 in the direction shown by arrow 98 , air or other gaseous or liquid medium will be drawn into inlet opening 28 in cover member 22 by centrifugal impeller 51 and discharged into plenum chamber 72 . the air or other fluid medium under pressure in plenum chamber 72 flows through passages 88 into vortex channel sections 84 , as shown by arrows 110 in fig1 and a helical motion is imparted thereto in vortex channel sections 84 by vortex impeller 62 , as shown by arrows 112 . additional pressure is imparted to the air or other fluid medium in vortex channel sections 84 by vortex impeller 62 and upon reaching partitions 82 , the air or other gaseous or liquid medium is discharged into exhaust plenum chamber 106 through discharge openings 94 , as shown by arrows 114 , being finally exhausted from manifold 100 as shown by arrow 116 . referring now to fig9 a typical head - flow characteristic curve for a single path vortex impeller is shown at 118 and a typical head - flow characteristic curve for a single stage centrifugal impeller is shown at 120 . the characteristic shown at 122 is provided by an improved centrifugal double path vortex pump embodying the invention in one form , with an impeller diameter of 51 / 8 inches at speeds ranging from 16 , 400 to 18 , 400 r . p . m ., and with watts input to the impeller ( as distinguished from watts input to motor 32 ) varying from 930 to 1115 . maximum efficiency of approximately 35 percent was obtained at a flow rate of 56 c . f . m . with a head of 55 inches of water , a speed of 16 , 200 r . p . m ., and watts input of approximately 1050 . this may be contrasted with experience that has shown that an efficiency in the neighborhood of only about 23 percent under similar conditions would be expected with blower assemblies utilizing a single path vortex section . it will be understood that the multiple vortex channel vortex pump described above may be used alone in some applications without using a centrifugal impeller in conjunction therewith . referring to fig1 of the drawings , a typical head - flow characteristic curve for a single channel vortex pump is shown at 124 , and a typical curve for a double channel vortex impeller is shown at 126 . it is now believed that a double channel vortex pump is capable of providing a significant improvement in efficiency as compared to a single path vortex pump . fig1 shows a motor 130 and multiple path vortex pump 131 in a configuration that differs from the embodiment illustrated in fig1 . the direction in which the view of fig1 is taken is similar to the direction of fig1 relative to fig2 . fig1 shows fluid flow to the impeller after passing through motor 130 . by this arrangement , motor 130 is cooled by the fluid flowing through it . fluid flow for this pump arrangement differs from that illustrated in fig1 . fluid enters through openings located in the housing of motor 130 as shown by arrows 128 , 129 , and passes internal to motor 130 thereby cooling motor 130 . the fluid then enters through an opening in annular ring 136 , passes between centrifugal impeller blades 133 , and exits from centrifugal impeller blades 133 . fluid then enters annular vortex channel 141 by going around baffle or sealing member 140 at two diametrically spaced apart locations . the fluid is then moved by vortex impeller blades 135 to two partitions 138 ( one not shown ) where it is exhausted through exhaust openings 137 . it is also noted that a view taken in the direction of arrows 2 &# 39 ;-- 2 &# 39 ; on fig1 would show the location of partitions 138 in relation to other parts of fig1 to be substantially similar to the relationships of similar parts in fig2 . fig1 , as illustrated , shows the fluid entering the motor near the top of the motor housing but it will be understood that fluid could enter by way of openings at other locations of the motor housing . other structural details of series wound motor 130 are not described since they will be understood by persons of ordinary skill in the art . centrifugal impeller blades 133 extend to the outer diameter of rotor disc 132 . thus the centrifugal impeller blades 133 use the full diameter of the rotor ; and the longer the blades , the greater the flow created . vortex impeller blades 135 are located on the opposite side of rotor disc 132 from centrifugal impeller blades 133 . the vortex impeller blades 135 are positioned toward the outer periphery of rotor disc 132 , thereby allowing these blades to also benefit from the maximum diameter of the rotor since the greater the radius the greater the velocity of the blades . therefore by constructing the centrifugal blades on one side of the rotor and the vortex blades on the other side a more compact impeller is obtained and the disadvantage of having a smaller diameter for one set of blades , where the two different types of blades are on the same side of the rotor is overcome . a centrifugal - dual path pump unit similar to that shown in fig1 was used to obtain the data from which the curve 122 was plotted in fig9 . it will be understood that constructions such as those shown in fig1 may be used for a number of different applications . for example , when it is desired to use the construction of fig1 to establish low pressure or vacuum type conditions ( as may be encountered for example in vacuum cleaner applications ), the outlets from the vortex channels may be vented to atmosphere and the inlet side of the construction may be disposed in a chamber in which a desired low pressure condition is to be maintained . this chamber may be , for example , one that contains a suitable type of filter and / or bag that would accumulate dust or dirt that may be moved thereinto because of the low pressure conditions . on the other hand , the construction of fig1 may be utilized when desired in equipment with which it is desired to establish high pressure conditions . for example , in dispensing applications where a source of high pressure air is needed , the structure of fig1 may be arranged so that the discharge from the vortex outlets will flow into a tank or plenum , from which the high pressure fluid may then be diverted to spraying or other dispensing type apparatus . it will be understood that a single vortex path pump would only have one partition in the vortex channel and therefore only one discharge opening . applications requiring a higher head at essentially the same impeller r . p . m . might use two concentric vortex paths . or if the same head and flow is desired , by having two concentric vortex paths , a lower r . p . m . could be used thereby resulting in lower noise and longer drive motor bearing life . fig1 shows blades of a vortex impeller 144 that also has been made and tested . impeller 144 has curved or airfoil blades 145 on its periphery . this impeller 144 produced a higher head than one having straight vortex blades , but was approximately 2 percent less efficient . impeller 144 was constructed with 60 blades 145 equally spaced . the provision of dual 180 ° vortex paths reduces the effective length of the vortex paths by 1 / 2 as compared to a 360 ° single path , and provides a substantial increase in the flow rate capability and efficiency of a pump without a significant corresponding reduction in head capability . while a double path vortex pump has been shown and described , it will be understood that more than two vortex sections may be provided . improved multiple path vortex pumps embodying the present invention may be employed in vacuum cleaners as well as in compressor or evacuator applications . while multiple path vortex pumps embodying the invention may more commonly be used in air moving applications , it will be readily understood that they are suitable for moving other gaseous and liquid mediums . it will be further understood that although an electric motor has been shown as the drive means for the pump , other means could just as easily be utilized to rotate the pump impeller . it now will be understood that i have provided new and improved arrangements that may include at least one vortex channel in the form of a hollow toriodally shaped channel having a circumferential opening . vortex impeller blades extend into the vortex channel through the opening and impart a motion to fluid in the channel as the impeller rotates . in more preferred forms , partitions divide the channel into a plurality of sections , and an exhaust opening is provided adjacent each partition to exhaust the fluid as it approaches the partition . the partitions will have a slot cut therein just large enough to allow the vortex impeller blades to pass into a next adjacent section of the vortex channel . a baffle or seal extends for a short distance into each next adjacent section flush with the slot of such partition and forms a groove for the vortex impeller blades . preferably , this seal extends for at least an arcuate length equal to two vortex blades . the number of vortex blades may be 50 to 60 equally spaced blades . in other forms , fluid from a centrifugal impeller is exhausted around at least one baffle into the vortex channel as the vortex impeller blades move beyond a groove formed by a baffle , and the fluid in the vortex channel is moved until a partition is reached at which time the fluid is again exhausted . a centrifugal - vortex pump having one vortex channel has been tested . the single vortex channel pump had a higher head than a dual channel pump at low flow rates , but the single channel vortex head dropped off relatively rapidly for high flow rates . reviewing once again the curves illustrated in fig9 and 10 , it is noted that with constructions that embody the present invention in preferred forms , advantageous and beneficial results may be obtained . more specifically , such structures have operational characteristics that one ordinarily would not expect . for example , substantially the only difference in the constructions from which the test data was obtained for curves 122 and 121 , was that the construction corresponding to curve 122 included a dual path vortex channel ; whereas the construction corresponding to curve 121 involved a single channel , substantially 360 mechanical degree , vortex path . it will be noted , when these two curves are compared , that a head of only about 93 inches of water was obtained under no flow conditions for the dual path pump ; whereas a head of about 147 . 5 inches of water was obtained under no flow conditions for the single path pump . on the other hand , for head conditions of 30 inches of water , the dual path flow rate was about 75 cubic feet per minute ; whereas the single path flow rate was only about 40 cubic feet per minute . while it might be expected that the head for curve 121 would be greater than the head for curve 122 under no flow conditions it is believed that it is unexpected for the large improvement in flow characteristics for curve 122 at 30 inches of water head . more significantly , the head versus flow characteristics are significantly better at a flow rate of 50 cubic feet per minute as compared to what usually is considered to be minimally desirable for vacuum cleaner blowers . more specifically , in vacuum cleaner blower applications , an airflow of about 50 cubic feet per minute at 50 inches of water head is usually considered a minimum requirement . the data for curve 122 was obtained from a test of a system substantially as shown in fig1 . the data for curve 121 , on the other hand , was obtained by testing a centrifugally boosted single path vortex pump that was driven by a dynamometer in a manner to simulate the speed characteristics of the series motor used in the system from which data for curve 122 was derived . referring now to fig1 , it will be appreciated that the unexpected benefits that may be obtained from the present invention may also be utilized to advantage with vortex pump sections per se . it is again noted that the curves 124 , 126 in fig1 represent the performance of vortex pumps that are not combined with centrifugal type pumps . the curve 124 represents test data for the head - flow characteristics of a single channel vortex pump having the channel extending for substantially 360 °. the curve 126 , on the other hand , represents test data where the unit was constructed by utilizing my teachings of providing a dual path for a single impeller , with each path extending for approximately 180 mechanical degrees . it will be noted that under no flow conditions the dual path unit developed a head of approximately 68 inches of water as compared to a head of about 101 inches of water for the single path vortex unit . on the other hand , substantially improved and much greater flow rates were obtained for the dual path unit as compared to the single path unit at heads of less than about 50 inches of water . these results , it is believed , represent a significant advantage and should be well noted . in fig1 a centrifugal - dual path vortex pump system 200 is illustrated . in this system , a series motor 201 drives an impeller assembly 203 by means of the motor shaft 202 . the impeller assembly 203 in fig1 is inverted relative to the motor 201 as compared to the relationships between the motor and impeller assemblies shown in fig1 and 11 . the disc 215 carries impeller elements of both centrifugal and vortex type . cover plate 216 corresponds to , and functions similarly to cover plates 56 , 136 in fig1 respectively with the exception that cover plate 216 does not have a fluid passage opening . it will be noted that disc 215 is a single member as compared to a composite disc of the type shown in fig1 . in fig1 , fluid is admitted to the interior of the motor as represented by arrows 204 . the fluid then is admitted to the eye 206 of the centrifugal pump section and compressed by the centrifugal impeller blade elements 207 . the fluid subsequently is discharged at a first pressure region p l and flows into the vortex channels where the vortex impeller elements 208 further compress the fluid and establish a higher pressure region p h . because of the difference in pressures between the pressure regions p h and p l , running seal leakage losses occur as the pressures tend to equalize . this leakage occurs along the running seal regions 209 , 210 . with the arrangement shown in fig1 , this pressure equalization occurs at start - up of the system , and thereafter the pressure equalization takes place such that there is no continuing high pressure fluid leakage from the system . on the other hand , with the systems shown in fig1 and 11 similar pressure equalization causes continuing high pressure fluid losses from the system during operation . the high pressure fluid in the system of fig1 , is ultimately discharged in a direction as indicated by the arrows 211 ; but it should be noted that any suitable baffling arrangement may be used to control the direction and location of air flow from the system 200 . the above will now be restated in a somewhat different manner . initially , note the inversion of the vortex impeller blades relative to the centrifugal impeller blades as compared to the construction shown in fig1 and 11 . when a finite mass of fluid is discharged by the impeller blade elements 207 to the pressure region p l , and then moves into the higher pressure regions p h , at least some small portion of such finite mass of fluid will leak back to pressure regions p l along the running seal regions 209 , 210 . however , this leakage mass may not escape to atmosphere because of the location of sealing cover or plate 212 . the only other mode of escape for this small portion of the fluid would be for it to flow in a reversed direction relative to the arrows 213 ( along centrifugal blade elements 207 ) and back through the interior of the motor to atmosphere . thus , with the arrangement shown in fig1 , a relatively long and pressurized tortuous path would have to be followed by any fluid that would be escaping from the relatively high pressure regions p h . thus , after , operation has commenced for system 200 , fluid escaping from pressure regions p h to regions p l acutally increases the pressure in regions p l so that the actual pressure differential therebetween ( if any ) is relatively small . while there has been described above preferred embodiments of the invention , it will be understood that numerous changes may be made therein . for example , blade driving means of impeller assemblies may be in the form of a rotor member ( or assembly ) or disc with impeller blades on opposite sides thereof , and such disc may be of a composite structure of two separately manufactured impeller blade supports . alternatively , the impeller may be cast in one mold and then an annular cover added over the centrifugal blades . also , the impeller assembly of fig1 can be cast in one molding and then a flat plate or cover added over the centrifugal blades . the impeller assembly is enclosed in a casing or housing which also forms vortex paths or channels having exhaust or discharge openings therein . accordingly , it is to be clearly understood that this description is made only by way of example and not as a limitation to the scope of the invention .
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fig1 shows a turbocharger rolling bearing in a section taken along the shaft in an operative state after installation . the fractional part of the shaft 19 which is surrounded by both the inner rings 17 , 18 merges on a turbine - side into the turbine - side end et which is either itself a part of the turbocharger turbine or is configured to be connected to this . on the opposite end of the fractional part of the shaft 19 , the fractional part merges with the compressor - side end ek of the fractional part which can be a part of the compressor or be capable of being connected to this . the compressor ( not illustrated ) has the function of compressing the air sucked in by the piston of an engine . the energy required for this is delivered by a turbine ( likewise not illustrated ) which is driven in a hot housing by the exhaust gas stream and is transferred via the shaft 19 and also via the fractional part thereof in the turbocharger bearing . the fractional part comprises , in alternating order , from the compressor - side end ek to the turbine - side end et , non - contacting regions and radial elevations in the following sequence : non contacting region 9 , first radial elevation 5 , non - contacting region 10 , second radial elevation 6 , third radial elevation 7 , non - contacting region 11 , fourth radial elevation 8 and non - contacting region 12 . all the transitions are radially convex in shape and serve as assembly inclinations that form an angle of less than 30 degrees relative to the axis of rotation . this applies both to the transition between the first and the second radial elevation 6 , 7 and to the transitions between a non - contacting region 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 and the respective neighboring radial elevation 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 . in this way , the first elevation 5 and the radial narrowing 1 form the first operative press fit exactly as also the second elevation 6 and the second narrowing 2 form the second press fit . both press fits again form the base for the first inner ring 17 and assure its radial centering for an operation at very high speeds of rotation without any detrimental effect on the rolling elements 21 during their rolling motion in their raceways around the inner ring 17 so that they can no longer trigger a disturbing vibration . analogously , this also applies to the inner ring 18 that is centered through the third and the fourth press fits . the centering of the shaft 19 is realized during installation by the fact that the compressor - side end ek is inserted through the second inner ring 18 and then further through the first inner ring 17 . during this step , it is also possible for the temporary press fits to be formed before the operative position of the shaft 19 in the inner rings 17 , 18 is reached . the further the first press fit is arranged from the second press fit , respectively , the third press fit from the fourth press fit , the larger is the lever arm during radial centering so that centering can be effected with the lowest possible force . the length of the first lever arm t 1 is smaller than the axial width b 1 of the first inner ring 17 . in most cases , however , a shorter length is required to enable a passing - by of the temporary press fits one after the other during installation , that is to say , to make it possible to pass by as few as possible at the same time . this applies analogously to the length t 2 of the second lever arm between the third and the fourth press fit of the second inner ring 18 . in any case , it is still purposeful to provide at least one lever arm with a length of at least half the width of the respective inner ring 17 , 18 : in the example of embodiment of fig1 , the third and the fourth press fits are situated radially further outwards than the first and the second press fits . in particular , the first and the second radial narrowings 1 , 2 even have the same inner radius and , respectively , the first and the second radial elevations 5 , 6 have the same outer radius . analogously , this also applies to the radial narrowings 3 , 4 and the radial elevations 7 , 8 but , respectively , with larger same inner radii and larger and larger same outer radii . in this way , only two temporary press fits get formed during assembly of the shaft 19 , viz . when the first radial elevation 5 passes the second radial narrowing 2 and when the third radial elevation 7 passes the radial narrowing 3 . the assembly with the two temporary press fits is illustrated in the following fig2 to 7 which show the turbocharger rolling bearing of fig1 in six different assembly steps . fig2 to 7 show the turbocharger rolling bearing of fig1 in the assembly steps one to six . in the first assembly step of fig2 , the shaft 19 was pushed in between the first radial elevation 5 and the second radial narrowing 2 up to the incipient first temporary press fit 20 . the press - in force is further enhanced through the second temporary press fit 30 that gets formed between the third radial elevation 7 and the fourth radial narrowing , i . e . exists partially simultaneously with the first press fit , as shown in fig3 . in the following fig4 to 7 , further incipient press fits , 40 , 50 , 60 and 70 are shown which , however , are intended to become permanent i . e . they are provided for the operation of the rolling bearing as soon as the axial front end surface s of the second inner ring comes to abut against the axial surface a . the length l of the fractional part of the shaft 19 between the two ends ek and et is equal to the sum of the inner ring widths b 1 , b 2 because the two inner rings 17 , 18 abut against each other at the axial stop 72 . alternatively , the press fits can have the same dimensions i . e . the radial narrowings and the radial elevations possess the same inner radii and the same outer radii . in addition , it is also possible that all radial narrowings and also all radial elevations have different inner radii and different outer radii , so that no temporary press fits but only permanent press fits are formed . fig8 shows a schematic press - in force diagram for a conventional turbocharger bearing compared to the turbocharger bearing of fig1 . the curve g 1 has a linear dependence on the press - in length that is plotted against the length from 0 to l of the fractional part of the shaft 19 . the hatched area under the straight line g 1 corresponds to the press - in energy for a conventional cylindrical shaft which is pressed into a hollow cylindrical interior with axially non - variable respective inner and outer radii . the curve g 2 shows schematically the course of the press - in force as a function of the press - in length , which force rises shortly after l / 2 , at the first temporary press fit , to f 1 , to then rise further immediately thereafter by reason of the second temporary press fit to f 2 . for instance it can be assumed by approximation that the temporary press fits produce the same press - in force fo . thus , the following applies : further , by idealization , it is assumed for the sake of illustration , that the areas of the press fits approximate zero . a small press fit length results in a low press - in force . in practice , however , these will always form surface contacts which , in the graphical illustration of the curve g 2 , form linearly ascending or , respectively , declining flanks . idealized , these result in vertical flanks . the curve g 2 is divided into two sections . the smaller one represents the temporary press fits g 20 and g 30 which have to be overcome together with the press - in force fe = f 2 ; in the case of the temporary press fit g 20 , the press - in force fe = f 1 suffices . the hatched area situated under the curve g 2 corresponds to the energy which has to be provided for overcoming the temporary press fits g 20 and g 30 . at the end of the press - in path are situated , at short intervals , the operative , permanent press fits , i . e . their beginnings g 40 , g 50 , g 60 and g 70 that have to be overcome . for this purpose , the press - in force increases stepwise from fe = 0 to fe = f 4 . on the whole , the press - in energy of the curve g 2 is clearly lower compared to the press - in energy of the curve g 1 because the integral over the press - in length from 0 to l of g 2 turns out to be clearly higher . the permanent press fit 40 is the first operative press fit and the permanent press fit 50 is the second operative press fit . to summarize , the invention concerns a rolling bearing particularly a turbocharger rolling bearing , comprising a shaft comprising a first , radial elevation and a second , radial elevation and a first inner ring which can be fixed to the shaft , said first inner ring comprising at least one first radially outer rolling element raceway for the rolling elements to roll on , a first , radial narrowing and a second , radial narrowing , the first , radial elevation and the first , radial narrowing being provided for forming a first press fit , and , respectively , the second , radial elevation and the second , radial narrowing being provided for forming a second press fit . the aim of the invention is to provide a rolling bearing with an optimized press - in force for high speeds of rotation which also enables a simple centering of two inner rings . for this purpose , the shaft comprises a third , radial elevation and a fourth , radial elevation , and a second inner ring that can be fixed to the shaft comprises at least one second , radially outer rolling element raceway for the rolling elements to roll on , a third , radial narrowing and a fourth , radial narrowing , the third , radial elevation and the third , radial narrowing being provided for forming a third press fit , and , respectively , the fourth , radial elevation and the fourth , radial narrowing being provided for forming a fourth press fit .
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as already mentioned , the present invention provides a method as well as a sampling module kit which is useful in thermal analysis of molten cast irons . by using the method and the kit as well as at least one of its components , it is possible to substantially increase the accuracy of such a thermal analysis , and to eliminate some sources of measurement variation and thus prediction error . accordingly , the method , the kit and the components of the invention should be attractive to use in industrial processes for manufacturing cast iron products , where the tolerance level regarding erroneous castings is very low . as disclosed herein , the term “ cooling curve ” refers to graphs representing the temperature as a function of time , which graphs have been recorded in the manner disclosed in wo 99 / 25888 and wo 92 / 06809 . the term “ sample vessel ” as disclosed herein refers to a small sample container which , when used for thermal analysis , is filled with a sample of molten metal . the temperature of the molten metal is then recorded in a suitable way . the walls of the sample vessel may be coated with a material which reduces the amount of structure - modifying agent in the melt in the immediate vicinity of the wall . examples of such sample vessels are given in wo 99 / 28726 and wo 96 / 23206 the term “ structure - modifying agent ” as disclosed herein , relates to compounds either promoting spheroidization or precipitation of the graphite present in the cast iron . suitable compounds can be chosen from the group of inoculating substances well - known in the art , and shape - modifying agents , such as magnesium , cerium and other rare earth metals . the relationship between the concentration of structure - modifying agents in molten cast irons and the graphite morphology of solidified cast irons have already been discussed in wo 92 / 06809 and wo 86 / 01755 . the present invention will be described with reference to the enclosed figures , in which : fig2 discloses a thermocouple holder , which is adapted for containing a thermocouple unit . details of the thermocouple unit are shown with broken lines ; fig3 shows a sampling unit adapted to be used together with , and to contain , a thermocouple holder and a thermocouple unit . details of a thermocouple holder and a thermocouple unit are shown with broken lines . in a first aspect , the present invention relates to a method for predicting the microstructure in which a certain cast iron melt will solidify . the method is based on a known procedure , where a sample of a certain cast iron melt is obtained in a sample vessel . then , cooling curves are recorded in the centre of the sample and in the vicinity of the sample vessel wall using two thermocouples . finally , the cooling curves are evaluated using pre - recorded calibration data in order to predict the microstructure . thermal analysis methods involving recording cooling curves require pre - determined and constant conditions . an essential feature of such methods is use of pre - determined calibration data . the results of determinations made under slightly different conditions compared to the conditions during the calibration cannot be trusted . a common reason for erroneous results is that at least one of the thermocouples has been in a different position compared to the position during the calibration measurements . the present method therefore comprises a step where the positions of the thermocouples are determined before recording the cooling curves . if the position of one of the thermocouples differs from the calibration position with more than a predetermined value , a fault signal is activated and the sampling procedure cannot be initiated until the fault has been rectified . the thermal analysis methods of wo 99 / 25888 and wo 92 / 06809 are all carried out within the temperature range 1100 – 1300 ° c . and with a tolerance of +/− 1 ° c . when measuring temperatures within the above disclosed range and precision , the exact location of the temperature - responsive means is extremely important . an erroneous localisation of the temperature - responsive means of 1 mm in a typical sample vessel such as those vessels disclosed in wo 99 / 28726 and wo 96 / 23206 , corresponds to an erroneous temperature measurement of 1 . 5 ° c . the most important temperature measurements are all carried out within a subrange or “ window ” of +/− 20 ° c . small differences (˜ 1 . 5 ° c .) regarding temperature measurements within this window may lead to very different predictions regarding the microstructure of the produced casting . moreover , as the desired subrange or window comprises as much as +/− 20 ° c . it is not possible for computer - based systems to detect erroneously located temperature responsive means by just monitoring the measured temperature . an erroneous reading can therefore effect the production of castings with production stop , or worse , faulty products , because the process control system receives faulty data . in case any products are produced out of specification without any indication by the process control system , it may lead to quality problems . it is therefore very important to be able to detect the exact location of the temperature - responsive means . there are several reasons why a temperature - responsive means could be erroneously located . there could be small particles in its way . alternatively , the temperature - responsive means could be bent and thus not be able to slide into the protective tube of the sample vessels normally used in these thermal analysis methods . there is no visual way to detect whether said means is in the correct position after mounting the sample vessel . finally , the sample vessel could have been damaged during transport or mounted in a wrong manner , which also results in an erroneous location . there are several ways of determining the position of the thermocouples . the positions can for example be determined mechanically , optically or magetically . in the methods of wo 99 / 25888 and wo 92 / 06809 , the thermocouples are moved from a resting position above the sample vessel to a measuring position in the cast iron melt . if position indication means are fixed to the thermocouples , or alternatively , to a protective tube completely surrounding the thermocouples it is possible determine the exact location of the thermocouple in the sample in relation the calibration position . as disclosed herein , the term “ position indication means ” is intended to mean anything detectable that can be joined to a specific part of the thermocouple . the position of the thermocouple can be mechanically detected if the position indication means physically contacts a detection sensor . the location can be optically detected if the position indication means affect a radiation beam between a radiation source and a radiation detector . likewise , the position can be magnetically detected if the position indication means affects or induces a magnetic field in the vicinity of the thermocouple . the position of the position indication means is preferably detected in a non - mechanical way , i . e . optical detection and magnetic detection are preferred . in case mechanic detection is used , there is a risk that wearing out of the detection equipment might hamper the results . in a second aspect , the present invention relates to a sampling module kit suitable for carrying out the method of the first aspect . this sampling module kit comprises three parts operating together , namely a thermocouple unit , a thermocouple holder and a sampling unit . the thermocouple unit 100 is shown in fig1 and comprises a ) a first thermocouple 102 ; b ) a second thermocouple 104 ; c ) a central part 106 joined to the first and second thermocouples 102 , 104 . the central part 106 also involves means 108 , 110 for connecting the first and second thermocouples 102 , 104 to a calculation means ; and d ) information transfer means 112 for transferring data relating to the two thermocouples 102 , 104 . the thermocouple unit 100 is adapted for recording cooling curves in the manners disclosed in wo 99 / 25888 and wo 92 / 06809 . the first thermocouple 102 is intended to record cooling curves in the centre of a sample of molten cast iron , whereas the second thermocouple 104 is intended to record cooling curves in a sample of molten cast iron adjacent to the wall of the sample vessel that is used during the analysis . the arrangement of the thermocouples on the central part 106 of the thermocouple unit is therefore adapted to a particular sample that is to be used during the thermal analysis . however , it is easy for the skilled person to design a thermocouple unit in such a way that one thermocouple can be centrally arranged while the other is located near the vessel wall for each given sample vessel . the thermocouples might for instance be welded together in such a way that the second thermocouple 104 ends at a longer distance from the central part 106 than the first thermocouple 102 . the central part 106 also has means 108 , 110 for connecting the thermocouples 102 , 104 to a calculation / computer means , for subsequent presentation and / or evaluation of the results , for instance using the technology disclosed in wo 99 / 25888 and wo 92 / 06809 . the first thermocouple 102 is adapted for recording cooling curves in the centre of a molten cast iron sample contained in a sample vessel , and the second thermocouple 104 is adapted for recording cooling curves in the cast iron sample adjacent to the sample vessel wall . accordingly , the arrangement of the thermocouples 102 , 104 on the central unit 106 is dependent on the design of the particular sample vessel that is used . it is easy for the skilled person to adapt the thermocouple arrangement of the thermocouple unit to a given sample vessel design . the thermocouple unit 100 comprises an information transfer means 112 , which preferably is located on the central part . the information transfer means 112 can be a magnetic memory means a printed bar code , or a radio frequency memory tag . the information transfer means contains calibration data relating to the thermocouples 102 , 104 . preferably , it also contains serial numbers etc rendering it possible to identify the individual thermocouples of the thermocouple unit , and to identify the calibration factors of these thermocouples to allow automatic correction in the software . during measurements , it is advantageous to protect the thermocouples against the hot cast iron melt . if the thermocouples are protected , it is possible to reuse them several times . typically , the thermocouples are inserted into one or two protective tubings . such protective tubings can either constitute an integral part of the sample vessel , or be put on as a separate fitting when the thermocouple unit is mounted in a thermocouple holder . such protective tubings are not shown in the figures of the present application . a thermocouple holder 200 according to the present invention is shown in fig2 . it comprises a cylindrical bushing 202 adapted to be fixed to the thermocouples 102 , 104 of the thermocouple unit 100 . the cylindrical bushing 202 also comprises position indication means 206 . the position indication means 206 shown in fig2 is a recess enabling free passage of a light beam ( optical detection ) when the thermocouples 102 , 104 of the thermocouple unit 100 are correctly positioned in the sample vessel . alternatively , the position indication means can be a permanent magnet ( magnetic detection ) or a rod ( mechanical detection ). as already mentioned the cylindrical bushing 202 is adapted to be fixed to the thermocouples 102 , 104 of the thermocouple unit 100 ( or optionally to protective tubes surrounding the thermocouples 102 , 104 ) by using suitable means 204 , such as screws . naturally , it is essential that the thermocouples 102 , 104 are fixed to the bushing 202 in a position corresponding to the position during the calibrations . the thermocouple holder 200 also comprises a head part 208 intended to house the central part 106 of the thermocouple holder . the head part has a means 210 , such as an opening , for giving access to the information transfer means 112 of the thermocouple unit . finally , the head part is also equipped with a fastening means 214 for attaching the thermocouple holder to the sampling unit . the cylindrical bushing 202 and the head part 208 are axially flexibly joined by a suitable means 212 , such as a spring . a sampling unit 300 is shown in fig3 . it comprises a housing 302 adapted for containing a thermocouple holder 200 equipped with a thermocouple unit . the unit further involves a means 304 for attaching a sample vessel 306 . this means 304 is specifically adapted for the sample vessel type used in a particular assay . examples of suitable sample vessels are given in wo 99 / 28726 and wo 96 / 23206 . the means 304 is located on an elongated part 322 intended to enclose the cylindrical bushing 202 of the thermocouple holder 200 . the sampling unit 300 has a means 308 for attaching the head part 208 of the thermocouple holder 200 inside the housing . this means 308 is adapted for being used together with the corresponding fastening means 214 on the head part 208 . the fastening mechanism is designed in such a way that it is easy to quickly change the thermocouple holder . it is easy for the skilled person to develop suitable fastening mechanisms . furthermore , the upper part 318 of the housing is pivotally mounted using one or more hinges 320 , in order facilitate exchanging the thermocouple holder 200 inside the hosing 302 . the sampling unit 300 comprises means 314 for reading the information in the information transfer means 112 of the thermocouple unit 100 and to send this identity and / or calibration factor information to a calculating / computer means . the reading means 314 can be a bar code reader a magnetic transducer , or a means for detecting signals from a radio frequency memory tag etc . the sampling unit 300 further comprises means 310 for moving the cylindrical bushing 202 of the thermocouple holder 200 , and thereby the thermocouples 102 , 104 of the thermocouple unit 100 , between a measuring position and a resting position . it is easy for the skilled person to design suitable means . the means can be controlled by a manual control means 316 , or alternatively it can be controlled automatically by the computer means . the elongated part 322 of the housing 302 also comprises means 312 for detecting whether the position indication means 206 of the cylindrical bushing 202 is in a position corresponding to the measurement position or not . in case the position indication means 206 of the bushing 202 is a recess , the detecting means can be a light source operating together with a light detector . in case the position indication means 206 is correctly positioned , there is a recess in the bushing 202 between the light source and the light detector , and the detector sends a positive signal . in case the position indication means is in another position , less or no light reaches the light detector and no positive signal is sent . the start of the thermal analysis is prevented , or in case it has already begun , it is interrupted . alternatively , detection means 312 can be for instance a magnet or a coil when the position is magnetically detected , or for example a switch mechanism when the position is mechanically detected .
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throughout the following description , specific details are set forth in order to provide a more thorough understanding of the invention . however , the invention may be practiced without these particulars . in other instances , well known elements have not been shown or described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the invention . accordingly , the specification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative , rather than a restrictive , sense . this invention provides displays capable of rendering images with high dynamic ranges . displays according to the invention comprise two light modulating stages . light passes through the stages in series to provide an image which has an increased dynamic range . fig1 illustrates schematically a display 10 according to a simple embodiment of the invention . the sizes of elements and distances between them in fig1 are not to scale . display 10 comprises a light source 12 . light source 12 may , for example , comprise a projection lamp such as an incandescent lamp or an arc lamp , a laser , or another suitable source of light . light source 12 may comprise an optical system comprising one or more mirrors , lenses or other optical elements which cooperate to deliver light to the rest of display 10 . in the illustrated embodiment , light from light source 12 is directed toward a first light modulator 16 . light source 12 preferably provides substantially uniform illumination of first light modulator 16 . light modulator 16 comprises an array of individually addressable elements . light modulator 16 may comprise , for example , a lcd ( liquid crystal display ), which is an example of a transmission - type light modulator or a dmd ( deformable mirror device ), which is an example of a reflection - type light modulator . display driver circuitry ( not shown in fig1 ) controls the elements of light modulator 16 according to data which defines an image being displayed . light which has been modulated by first light modulator 16 is imaged onto a rear - projection screen 23 by a suitable optical system 17 . light from a small area of first light modulator 16 is directed by optical system 17 to a corresponding area on rear - projection screen 23 . in the illustrated embodiment , optical system 17 comprises a lens having a focal length f . in general , the optical system 17 which images light modulated by first light modulator 16 onto rear - projection screen 23 may comprise one or more mirrors , lenses or other optical elements . such an optical system has the function of imaging light modulated by the first light modulator onto a second light modulator . in the illustrated embodiment , rear - projection screen 23 comprises a second light modulator 20 and a collimator 18 . a main function of collimator 18 is to cause light which passes through rear - projection screen 23 to be directed preferentially toward a viewing area . collimator 18 may comprise a fresnel lens , a holographic lens , or , in the alternative , another arrangement of one or more lenses and / or other optical elements which will guide light in the direction of a viewing area . in the illustrated embodiment , collimator 18 causes light to travel through the elements of second light modulator 20 in a direction which is generally normal to screen 23 . as light incident from collimator 18 travels through second light modulator 20 it is further modulated . the light then passes to a diffuser 22 which scatters the outgoing light through a range of directions so that a viewer located on an opposite side of diffuser 22 from first light modulator 16 can see light originating from the whole area of screen 23 . in general , diffuser 22 may scatter light to a different angular extent in the horizontal and vertical planes . diffuser 22 should be selected so that light modulated by second light modulator 20 is scattered through a range of angles such that the maximum scatter angle is at least equal to the angle subtended by screen 23 when viewed from a desired viewing location . rear - projection screen 23 may differ in area from first light modulator 16 . for example , rear - projection screen 23 may be larger in area than first light modulator 16 . where this is the case , optical system 17 expands the beam of light modulated by first light modulator 16 to illuminate a larger corresponding area on rear - projection screen 23 . second light modulator 20 may be of the same type as first light modulator 16 or a different type . where first and second light modulators 16 and 20 are both of types that polarize light , second light modulator 20 should , as much as is practical , be oriented so that its plane of polarization matches that of the light incident on it from first light modulator 16 . display 10 may be a color display . this may be achieved in various ways including : making one of first light modulator 16 and second light modulator 20 a color light modulator ; providing a plurality of different first light modulators 16 operating in parallel on different colors ; and , providing a mechanism for rapidly introducing different color filters into the light path ahead of second light modulator 20 . as an example of the first approach above , second light modulator 20 may comprise an lcd panel having a plurality of pixels each comprising a number of colored sub - pixels . for example , each pixel may comprise three sub - pixels , one associated with a red filter , one associated with a green filter and one associated with a blue filter . the filters may be integral with the lcd panel . as shown in fig1 a , light source 12 , first light modulator 16 and optical system 17 may all be parts of a digital video projector 37 located to project an image defined by a signal 38 a from a controller 39 onto the back side of rear - projection screen 23 . the elements of second light modulator 20 are controlled by a signal 38 b from controller 39 to provide an image to a viewer which has a high dynamic range . as shown in fig2 , a display 10 a according to the invention may comprise one or more additional light modulation stages 24 . each additional light modulation stage 24 comprises a collimator 25 , a light modulator 26 and an optical system 27 which focuses light from light modulator 26 onto either the next additional light modulation stage 24 or on collimator 18 . in device 10 a of fig2 there are two additional light modulation stages 24 . devices according to this embodiment of the invention may have one or more additional light modulation stages 24 . the luminance of any point on output diffuser 22 can be adjusted by controlling the amount of light passed on by corresponding elements of light modulators 16 , 20 and 26 . this control may be provided by a suitable control system ( not shown in fig2 ) connected to drive each of light modulators 16 , 20 and 26 . as noted above , light modulators 16 , 20 and 26 may all be of the same type or may be of two or more different types . fig3 illustrates a display 10 b according to an alternative embodiment of the invention which includes a first light modulator 16 a which comprises a deformable mirror device . a deformable mirror device is a “ binary ” device in the sense that each pixel may be either “ on ” or “ off ”. different apparent brightness levels may be produced by turning a pixel on and off rapidly . such devices are described , for example , in u . s . pat . nos . 4 , 441 , 791 and , 4 , 954 , 789 and are commonly used in digital video projectors . light source 12 and first light modulator 16 ( or 16 a ) may be the light source and modulator from a commercial digital video projector , for example . fig4 illustrates a front - projection - type display 10 c according to the invention . display 10 c comprises a screen 34 . a projector 37 projects an image 38 onto screen 34 . projector 37 comprises a suitable light source 12 , a first light modulator 16 and an optical system 17 suitable for projecting an image defined by first light modulator 16 onto screen 34 . projector 37 may comprise a commercially available display projector . screen 34 incorporates a second light modulator 36 . second light modulator 36 comprises a number of addressable elements which can be individually controlled to affect the luminance of a corresponding area of screen 34 . light modulator 36 may have any of various constructions . for example , light modulator 36 may comprise an array of lcd elements each having a controllable transmissivity located in front of a reflective backing . light projected by projector 37 passes through each lcd element and is reflected back through the lcd element by the reflective backing . the luminance at any point on screen 34 is determined by the intensity of light received at that point by projector 37 and the degree to which light modulator 36 ( e . g . the lcd element at that point ) absorbs light being transmitted through it . light modulator 36 could also comprise an array of elements having variable retro - reflection properties . the elements may be prismatic . such elements are described , for example , in whitehead , u . s . pat . no . 5 , 959 , 777 entitled passive high efficiency variable reflectivity image display device and , whitehead et al ., u . s . pat . no . 6 , 215 , 920 entitled electrophoretic , high index and phase transition control of total internal reflection in high efficiency variable reflectivity image displays . light modulator 36 could also comprise an array of electrophoretic display elements as described , for example , in albert et al ., u . s . pat . no . 6 , 172 , 798 entitled shutter mode microencapsulated electrophoretic display ; comiskey et al ., u . s . pat . no . 6 , 120 , 839 entitled electro - osmotic displays and materials for making the same ; jacobson , u . s . pat . no . 6 , 120 , 588 entitled : electronically addressable microencapsulated ink and display ; jacobson et al ., u . s . pat . no . 6 , 323 , 989 entitled electrophoretic displays using nanoparticles ; albert , u . s . pat . no . 6 , 300 , 932 entitled electrophoretic displays with luminescent particles and materials for making the same or , comiskey et al ., u . s . pat . no . 6 , 327 , 072 entitled microcell electrophoretic displays . as shown in fig6 a and 6b , screen 34 preferably comprises a lens element 40 which functions to direct light preferentially toward the eyes of viewers . in the illustrated embodiment , lens element 40 comprises a fresnel lens having a focal point substantially coincident with the apex of the cone of light originating from projector 37 . lens element 40 could comprise another kind of lens such as a holographic lens . lens element 40 incorporates scattering centers 45 which provide a desired degree of diffusion in the light reflected from screen 34 . in the illustrated embodiment , second light modulator 36 comprises a reflective lcd panel having a large number of pixels 42 backed by a reflective layer 43 and mounted on a backing 47 . where light modulator 36 comprises an array of elements having variable retro - reflection properties , the elements themselves could be designed to direct retro - reflected light preferentially in a direction of a viewing area in front of screen 34 . reflective layer 43 may be patterned to scatter light to either augment the effect of scattering centers 45 or replace scattering centers 45 . as shown in fig4 , a controller 39 provides data defining image 38 to each of first light modulator 16 and second light modulator 36 . controller 39 could comprise , for example , a computer equipped with a suitable display adapter . controller 39 may comprise image processing hardware to accelerate image processing steps . the luminance of any point on screen 34 is determined by the combined effect of the pixels in first light modulator 16 and second light modulator 36 which correspond to that point . there is minimum luminance at points for which corresponding pixels of the first and second light modulators are set to their “ darkest ” states . there is maximum luminance at points for which corresponding pixels of the first and second light modulators are set to their “ brightest ” states . other points have intermediate luminance values . the maximum luminance value might be , for example , on the order of 10 5 cd / m 2 . the minimum luminance value might be , for example on the order of 10 − 2 cd / m 2 . the cost of a light modulator and its associated control circuitry tends to increase with the number of addressable elements in the light modulator . in some embodiments of the invention one of the light modulators has a spatial resolution significantly higher than that of one or more other ones of the light modulators . when one or more of the light modulators are lower - resolution devices the cost of a display according to such embodiments of the invention may be reduced . in color displays comprising two or more light modulators , one of which is a color light modulator ( a combination of a plurality of monochrome light modulators may constitute a color light modulator as shown , for example , in fig6 ) and one of which is a higher - resolution light modulator , the higher - resolution light modulator should also be the color light modulator . in some embodiments the higher - resolution light modulator is imaged onto the lower - resolution light modulator . in other embodiments the lower - resolution light modulator is imaged onto the higher - resolution light modulator . fig5 illustrates one possible configuration of pixels in a display 10 as shown in fig1 . nine pixels 42 of a second light modulator 20 correspond to each pixel 44 of a first light modulator 16 . the number of pixels 42 of second light modulator 20 which correspond to each pixel 44 of first light modulator 16 may be varied as a matter of design choice . pixels 44 of the higher - resolution one of first and second light modulators 16 and 20 ( or 36 ) should be small enough to provide a desired overall resolution . in general there is a trade off between increasing resolution and increasing cost . in a typical display the higher - resolution light modulator will provide an array of pixels having at least a few hundred pixels in each direction and more typically over 1000 pixels in each direction . the size of pixels 42 of the lower - resolution one of the first and second light modulators determines the scale over which one can reliably go from maximum intensity to minimum intensity . consider , for example , fig5 a which depicts a situation where one wishes to display an image of a small maximum - luminance spot on a large minimum - luminance background . to obtain maximum luminance in a spot 47 , those pixels of each of the first and second light modulators which correspond to spot 47 should be set to their maximum - luminance values . where the pixels of one light modulator are lower in resolution than pixels of the other light modulator then some pixels of the lower - resolution light modulator will straddle the boundary of spot 47 . this is the case , for example , in fig5 a . outside of spot 47 there are two regions . in region 48 it is not possible to set the luminance to its minimum value because in that region the lower - resolution light modulator is set to its highest luminance value . in region 49 both of the light modulators can be set to their lowest - luminance values . if , for example , each of the first and second light modulators has a luminance range of 1 to 100 units , then region 47 might have a luminance of 100 × 100 = 10 , 000 units , region 48 would have a luminance of 100 × 1 = 100 units and region 49 would have a luminance of 1 × 1 = 1 units . as a result of having one of the light modulators lower in resolution than the other , each pixel of the lower - resolution light modulator corresponds to more than one pixel in the higher - resolution light modulator . it is not possible for points corresponding to any one pixel of the lower - resolution light modulator and different pixels of the higher - resolution light modulator to have luminance values at extremes of the device &# 39 ; s dynamic range . the maximum difference in luminance between such points is determined by the dynamic range provided by the higher - resolution light modulator . it is generally not a problem that a display is not capable of causing closely - spaced points to differ in luminance from one another by the full dynamic range of the display . the human eye has enough intrinsic scatter that it is incapable of appreciating large changes in luminance which occur over very short distances in any event . in a display according to the invention which includes both a lower - resolution spatial light modulator and a higher - resolution spatial light modulator , controller 39 may determine a value for each pixel of the lower - resolution spatial light modulator and adjust the signals which control the higher - resolution spatial light modulator to reduce artifacts which result from the fact that each pixel of the lower - resolution spatial light modulator is common to a plurality of pixels of the higher - resolution spatial light modulator . this may be done in any of a wide number of ways . for example , consider the case where each pixel of the lower - resolution spatial light modulator corresponds to a plurality of pixels of the higher - resolution spatial light modulator . image data specifying a desired image is supplied to the controller . the image data indicates a desired luminance for an image area corresponding to each of the pixels of the higher - resolution spatial light modulator . the controller may set the pixels of the lower - resolution light modulator to provide an approximation of the desired image . this could be accomplished , for example , by determining an average or weighted average of the desired luminance values for the image areas corresponding to each pixel of the lower - resolution light modulator . the controller may then set the pixels of the higher - resolution light modulator to cause the resulting image to approach the desired image . this could be done , for example , by dividing the desired luminance values by the known intensity of light incident from the lower - resolution light modulator on the corresponding pixels of the higher - resolution light modulator . processing to generate the signals for driving the light modulators may be performed on the fly by controller 39 , may be performed earlier by controller 39 or some other device and integrated into the image data or some processing may be performed earlier and controller 39 may perform final processing to generate the control signals . if the low - resolution pixels are too large then a viewer may be able to discern a halo around bright elements in an image . the low resolution pixels are preferably small enough that the appearance of bright patches on dark backgrounds or of dark spots on bright backgrounds is not unacceptably degraded . it is currently considered practical to provide in the range of about 8 to about 144 , more preferably about 9 to 36 , pixels on the higher - resolution light modulator for each pixel of the lower - resolution light modulator . the sizes of steps in which each of pixels 42 and 44 can adjust the luminance of point ( s ) on the image are not necessarily equal . the pixels of the lower - resolution light modulator may adjust light intensity in coarser steps than the pixels of the higher - resolution light modulator . for example , the lower - resolution light modulator may permit adjustment of light intensity for each pixel over an intensity range of 1 to 512 units in 8 steps while the higher - resolution light modulator may permit adjustment of the light intensity for each pixel over a similar range in 512 steps . while pixels 42 and 44 are both illustrated as being square in fig5 , this is not necessary . pixels 42 and / or 44 could be other shapes , such as rectangular , triangular , hexagonal , round , or oval . the pixels of the lower - resolution light modulator preferably emit light which is somewhat diffuse so that the light intensity varies reasonably smoothly as one traverses pixels of the lower - resolution light modulator . this is the case where the light from each of the pixels of the lower - resolution light modulator spreads into adjacent pixels , as shown in fig7 . as shown in fig7 a , the intensity profile of a pixel in the lower - resolution light modulator can often be approximated by gaussian spread function convolved with a rectangular profile having a width d 1 equal to the active width of the pixel . the spread function preferably has a full width at half maximum in the range of 0 . 3 × d 2 to 3 × d 2 , where d 2 is the center - to - center inter - pixel spacing , to yield the desired smoothly varying light intensity . typically d 1 is nearly equal to d 2 . in the embodiment of fig5 , each pixel 42 comprises three sub pixels 43 r , 43 g and 43 b ( for clarity fig5 omits sub pixels for some pixels 42 ). sub - pixels 43 r , 43 g and 43 b are independently addressable . they are respectively associated with red , green and blue color filters which are integrated into second light modulator 20 . various constructions of lcd panels which include a number of colored sub - pixels and are suitable for use in this invention are known in the art . for front projection - type displays ( for example the display 10 c of fig4 ), it is typically most practical for first light modulator 16 to comprise a high - resolution light modulator which provides color information and for light modulator 36 to comprise a monochrome light modulator . light modulator 36 preferably has reasonably small addressable elements so that the boundaries of its elements do not form a visually distracting pattern . for example , light modulator 36 may have the same number of addressable elements as projector 37 ( although each such element will typically have significantly larger dimensions than the corresponding element in light modulator 16 of projector 37 ). projector 37 may have any suitable construction . all that is required is that projector 37 be able to project light which has been spatially modulated to provide an image onto screen 34 . fig6 illustrates a display system 10 d according to a further alternative embodiment of the invention . system 10 d comprises a screen 34 which has an integrated light modulator 36 as described above with reference to fig4 . system 10 d comprises a projector 37 a which has separate light modulators 16 r , 16 g and 16 r for each of three colors . light modulated by each of light modulators 16 r , 16 g and 16 r is filtered by a corresponding one of three colored filters 47 r , 47 g and 47 b . the modulated light is projected onto screen 34 by optical systems 17 . a single light source 12 may supply light to all three light modulators 16 r , 16 g , and 16 b , or separate light sources ( not shown ) may be provided . as will be apparent to those skilled in the art in the light of the foregoing disclosure , many alterations and modifications are possible in the practice of this invention without departing from the spirit or scope thereof . for example : diffuser 22 and collimator 18 could be combined with one another ; diffuser 22 and collimator 18 could be reversed in order ; multiple cooperating elements could be provided to perform light diffusion and / or collimation ; the order in screen 23 of second light modulator 20 collimator 18 and diffuser 22 could be varied ; the signal 38 a driving first light modulator 16 may comprise the same data driving second light modulator 20 or may comprise different data . accordingly , the scope of the invention is to be construed in accordance with the substance defined by the following claims .
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in an ofdm or ofdma system , in the presence of multipath diversity , all subcarriers will arrive at a given receiver with different amplitudes . in fact , some subcarriers may be completely lost because of significant fading effects . hence , the overall bit rate and capacity will be dominated by the few subcarriers with the smallest amplitudes ( even though most subcarriers may be detected without errors ). in order to attempt to counteract this disadvantage , most ofdm or ofdma systems employ channel coding . using coding across the subcarriers , enables errors of weak subcarriers to be corrected . the performance of the coded ofdm / ofdma system can be determined by the average received power rather than the power of the weakest subcarrier . in the described embodiment of the present invention , the average received power ( or channel gain ) of each subchannel ( user ) will be used as the quality metric to allocate the subcarriers . the subcarriers are allocated in such a way as to maximise the average power received for each subchannel without minimising the average received power in other subchannels . this ensures a fair approach to all users ( assuming for the moment each user is allocated one sub - channel ) resulting in similar per and ber performance across users under the same snr . although power level is used as the quality metric in the described embodiment , it will be readily appreciated that the present invention is applicable to any quality measurement . for example , power level , or sinr ( signal to interference and noise ratio ) could be used as a quality measurement as a basis for the allocation of subcarriers . other quality measurements can also be used . fig4 is a flow chart illustrating a method embodying the present invention . the method starts ( at step a ) by initialising data relating to subchannel power levels . for example , the initial level is set to zero . at step b , respective initial subcarriers are found for each subchannel . each initial subcarrier is found to find the best subcarrier gain for that user . the power level is updated to reflect the allocated subcarriers , and once a subcarrier is allocated it is no longer available for allocation to another subchannel . at step d , the subchannels are sorted in ascending order of power level so that the lowest power level subchannel is first on the list . in step e , additional subcarriers are allocated in the order of the subchannels as they appear on the sorted power level list , such that the lowest power level subchannel is allocated an additional subcarrier first . if all subcarriers are allocated ( step f ) then the process ends ( step g ) until the next channel change . if all subcarriers have not been allocated then steps d and e are repeated so that all of the subcarriers can be allocated in this way . p k represents the average received power for subchannel ( user ) k . n represents the usable subcarriers . h k , n represents the channel gain for subcarrier n and user k . in the following example , the number of subchannels ( users ) is 16 , the number of subcarriers is 768 and for the sake of simplicity it is assumed that each user is allocated one subchannel only . note that multiple subchannels may be allocated to particular users to give them a larger share of the available resources whilst maintaining a fair allocation of resources between subchannels . it will be readily appreciated that techniques embodying the invention can be applied to any number of users and subcarriers . a method embodying the present invention can be expressed as follows : set p k = 0 for all user k = 1 to 16 , n ={ 1 , 2 , 3 . . . , 768 } ( available subcarriers ) a ) find subcarrier n satisfying | h k , n |& gt ;=| h k , j | for all j ⊂ n b ) update p k and n with the n from a ) according to : a ) sort subchannels according to the subchannel that has less power . b ) for the found subchannel k , find subcarrier n satisfying : c ) update p k and n with the n from a ) according to : d ) go to the next in the short list , until all users are allocated another subcarrier this technique will be repeated at regular intervals to accommodate variation over time . although the invention is described with reference to a radio telecommunications system , it will be readily appreciated that the techniques and principles of the invention are applicable to other systems . in addition , although the techniques of the present invention are described with reference to the base station , it is not necessary that a base station carry out the subcarrier allocation . one or more , or even all , of the user terminals can handle the allocation of the subcarriers in a practical system . since the algorithm is deterministic , if all of the terminals have access to the same information on the channel , they could all implement the algorithm with the same result . in such a system , it is necessary that all of the terminals are provided with the relevant information concerning the channel , and this is particularly the case in those networks which use distributed control , with no base station . the information can be provided to each of the user terminals using the control channels available in the system . in the following , physical layer performance results are presented for the case of the enhanced coded ofdma system in terms of ber ( bit error rate ) and per ( packet error rate ) vs . snr ( signal to noise ratio ) graphs for the downlink case . similar performance gains can be achieved in the uplink if the channel does not change and the user receiver uses the same subcarriers to transmit . performance results have been obtained for a number of different modes for the channel mode e as specified . for each channel model , 2000 uncorrelated wideband rayleigh channels were generated in order to be convolved with the modulated data . in order to investigate the potential gains achieved by allocating very good subcarriers to one user a simple greedy algorithm that allocates the best subcarriers to one user without taking into account the other users was tried . fig5 and 6 present the ber and per performances of the coded ofdma system versus snr respectively . for these results mode 2 ( see table 2 ) was used and the packet size was 54 bytes . it can be seen that when the best subcarriers are allocated to one user the performance is significantly enhanced compared to the standard case where random subcarriers are allocated across the entire spectrum . this is due to two reasons . firstly , the average received power for this user ( in the 48 subcarriers ) is increased and secondly fewer carriers are in a fade and hence the convolutional code can correct more errors and performance is improved . it should be noted that the average power across the entire spectrum remains the same , but what changes is the power for the particular user subcarriers . however , as stated before , this is not the optimal solution since it may happen that the best subcarrier of a user is also the best subcarrier for another user who happens to have no other good subcarriers . this means that although the performance of user 1 has been enhanced , other users may suffer . fig7 and 8 present the ber and per performances of the coded ofdma system with the subcarrier allocation algorithm versus snr respectively for mode 2 . fig9 and 10 present the ber and per performances for mode 6 ( see table 2 ). it can be seen that the subcarrier allocation algorithm provides significant gains ( see table 1 ) and its performance is very close to the best subcarrier allocation case ( within 1 db ). moreover , as can be seen from fig1 the performance of all users is equally enhanced in contrast with the best subcarrier allocation algorithm . in order to obtain the throughput results , simulations were performed for all the transmission modes . fig1 shows per results with the subcarrier allocation algorithm for all the modes . as before , the gains are due to enhanced received power in the desirable subcarriers and enhanced performance due to less fading . this can be seen from fig1 and 14 which show respectively an example channel frequency response and how that can be seen at the receiver after the subcarrier allocation algorithm for the 48 subcarriers . the average gain due to the enhanced received power was measured to be 4 . 8 db ( over all channel realisations and users ). as stated before the rest of the gain is due to the resulting shape of the frequency response ( see fig1 ) which gives us a relatively flat channel . the physical layer modes ( table 2 ) with different coding and modulation schemes can be selected by a link adaptation scheme as explained in wp3 . the link adaptation mechanism enables the system to adapt the transmission mode to the radio link quality . fig1 and 16 show the link throughput in the proposed 4g system based on the per results and table 2 with and without the subcarrier allocation algorithm for the downlink case . it can be observed that throughput is significantly enhanced with the subcarrier allocation algorithm . the subcarrier allocation algorithm can achieve the maximum throughput ( 288 mbps ) for an snr value of 18 db for the downlink . table 3 summarises these throughput enhancements . for example at an snr value of 5 db the enhanced system can support up to 120 mbps instead of 30 mbps . this is due to the fact that mode 4 can now be used instead of mode 2 . similar improvements can be seen for other snr values . hence the performance gain achieved can be used either to reduce the transmit power , or to provide enhanced capacity for the same transmit power .
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the present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings , in which a preferred embodiment of the invention is shown . this invention may , however , be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiment set forth herein . rather , this embodiment is provided so that this application will be thorough and complete , and will fully convey the true scope of the invention to those skilled in the art . the apparatus of this invention is referred to generally in the figures and is intended to provide a convertible shoe . it should be understood that the present invention may be used in converting a pair of stilettos into a pair of flats instantly and vice versa , and should not be limited to the uses described herein . referring to the fig1 - 4 in general , in a non - limiting exemplary embodiment , the convertible shoe 10 may include a lightly padded and flexible sole 20 to facilitate a comfortable fit and steady footing and a removable heel 30 . produced in a variety of heights , the heel 30 may include a sliding and interlocking fitting 32 positioned on the top of the heel 30 and designed to accommodate a recessed female threaded fitting 37 located at the sole 15 of the shoe 10 . other interlocking mechanisms can be utilized to interlock the disjoined heel 30 to sole of shoe 10 . as such , the heel 30 may easily slid into place on the underside of the shoe 37 , locking in place and then easily released and removed after use . the heel 30 may be manufactured from a variety of materials included heavy duty acrylic , polished wood and leather . the apparatus 10 may further be produced in a wide variety of styles from canvas mules , to open toe and strappy sandals , to stylish pumps . as with traditional shoes , the apparatus 10 may be produced in a variety of sizes and colors . fig1 - 5 illustrates , the convertible shoe ( 10 ) of the present invention . the convertible shoe ( 10 ) of the present invention comprises a sole ( 12 ) having a lower surface with an opposite heel ( 15 ) and toe ends ( 20 ), and a pair of sides ( 25 ) extending between the heel ( 15 ) and toe ends ( 20 ) of the sole ( 15 ). the heel ( 15 ) of the sole ( 12 ) of the have a recessed portion ( 37 ) extending a pre - determined length thereon forming a channel ( 37 ) thereon . in the preferred embodiment , the channel ( 37 ) extends the length of the heel ( 15 ) of the sole ( 12 ). the convertible shoe ( 10 ) of the present invention further comprises the disjoined heel ( 30 ) having an upper surface with spline ( 32 ) raised above the upper surface extending the length of the channel ( 37 ). the spline ( 32 ) configured to securely engaged into the channel ( 37 ) wherein the heel ( ) is securely attached to the heel ( 15 ) lower surface of the sole ( 12 ). the shoe ( 10 ) of the present invention further comprises a first track of attaching elements ( 33 ) disposed adjacent and parallel to the spline ( 32 ) and a first track of mating elements ( 43 ) disposed adjacent and parallel to the channel ( 37 ) configured to securely engage with the first track of attaching elements ( 33 ) wherein the heel ( 15 ) of the sole ( 12 ) is securely attached to the disjoined heel ( 30 ). the shoe of the present invention further comprises a second track of attaching elements ( 34 ) disposed adjacent and parallel to the spline ( 32 ) opposite the first track of attaching elements ( 33 ) and on the opposite side of the spline ( 32 ). a second track of mating elements ( 44 ) is disposed adjacent and parallel to the channel ( 37 ) opposite the first track of mating elements ( 43 ) wherein the second track of mating elements ( 44 ) is configured to securely engage with the first track of attaching elements ( 33 ) wherein the heel ( 15 ) of the sole ( 12 ) is securely attached to the disjoined heel ( 30 ). in the illustrated embodiment depicted in fig5 , 5 a , and 5 b , the first and second track of attaching elements ( 33 , 34 ) are spring loaded ball bearings and the first and second track mating elements ( 43 , 44 ) are apertures . in use ad depicted in fig3 a , b , and c , as the spline of the disjoined heel ( 30 ) is slid into recessed portion ( 37 ), the spring loaded ball bearings is depressed and then released into the apertures ( 43 , 44 ) securing the attaching elements ( 33 , 34 ) in place . other fastening mechanisms can be utilized . additionally , the attaching elements and the mating elements can be reversed wherein attaching elements are adjacent to the channel and the mating elements are adjacent to the spline . in use the connection between the attaching elements and the mating elements provides an equal distribution of the weight of the user alleviating the stress upon the spline ( 32 ) interlocking connection . in a non - limiting exemplary embodiment , a handy storage pouch may be included for use in easily storing the heels 30 in a purse or tote . lightweight and portable , the heel 30 may be easily stored in the handy carrying pouch when not in use . the handy pouch may easily fit in any clutch , purse or attaché , providing effortless access whenever needed . there are several significant benefits and advantages associated with the convertible shoe 10 . as a non - limiting example , the apparatus 10 in fig1 - 4 may provide female users customizable footwear which may enable them to enjoy the striking fashion of high heel shoes , while also providing an instant reprieve for sore feet at the end of a long day or evening &# 39 ; s festivities . stylish stilettos boasting detachable heels , such footwear may provide females cushiony relief after long hours spent on their feet . a practical alternative to traversing a crowded dance floor or gravel parking lot with bare feet , the apparatus 10 may offer females a remarkably effective barrier between the foot and the hard ground surface area . eliminating the sore , achy feet associated with wearing high heels , the apparatus 10 may provide soothing relief after a day &# 39 ; s festivities . attractive in design , such comfortable footwear may add a striking touch to any ensemble . in use , the convertible shoe 10 would be simple and straightforward to use . first the user would purchase a pair of apparatus 10 in accordance to size and style . sliding the heel attachment to the bottom of each sole 15 as shown in fig3 a , b , and c allowing the user to transform the flats illustrated in fig1 into a pair of heeled shoes illustrated in fig2 for a night on the town with friends . at the end of the evening , the user would once again remove the heels from the bottom of her shoes , tossing the heels into their carrying pouch and dropping them into a purse or glove compartment for use when again needed . there has thus been outlined , rather broadly , the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood , and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated . it is noted the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the u . s . patent and trademark office and the public generally , especially the scientists , engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology , to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application . the abstract is neither intended to define the invention of the application , which is measured by the claims , nor is it intended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way . while the invention has been described with respect to certain specific embodiments , it will be appreciated that many modifications and changes may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention . it is intended , therefore , by the description hereinabove to cover all such modifications and changes as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention . in particular , with respect to the above description , it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the present invention may include variations in size , materials , shape , form , function and manner of operation .
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this description of the exemplary embodiments is intended to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings , which are to be considered part of the entire written description . in the description , relative terms such as “ lower ,” “ upper ,” “ horizontal ,” “ vertical ,”, “ above ,” “ below ,” “ up ,” “ down ,” “ top ” and “ bottom ” as well as derivative thereof ( e . g ., “ horizontally ,” “ downwardly ,” “ upwardly ,” etc .) should be construed to refer to the orientation as then described or as shown in the drawing under discussion . these relative terms are for convenience of description and do not require that the apparatus be constructed or operated in a particular orientation . terms concerning attachments , coupling and the like , such as “ connected ” and “ interconnected ,” refer to a relationship wherein structures are secured or attached to one another either directly or indirectly through intervening structures , as well as both movable or rigid attachments or relationships , unless expressly described otherwise . the invention relates to alignment of a line - of - sight communication link between a receiver and a transmitter , for example , a laser or microwave transmitter and receiver . the invention relates to a method and apparatus for line - of - sight alignment of a closed channel communications link for laser transmitted communications or microwave transmitted communications . fig3 discloses a transmitter ( 100 ) mounted on a base ( 100 a ), for example , a tripod . the transmitter output is in the form of a wireless communications signal transmitted by a laser or microwave carrier . the transmitter ( 100 ) is aligned with a distant or remote receiver ( 102 ) to establish line - of - sight communications with the receiver ( 102 ). according to the invention , a radiation emitting device , including , and not limited to a pen style , laser pointer ( 300 ) emanates a visible spectrum laser beam through a diffuser ( 302 ) that includes , and is not limited to , a lens or refraction element . to align the transmitter ( 100 ) with the receiver ( 102 ), an operator begins the process by manually pointing the laser pointer ( 300 ) toward a candidate target . a candidate target is a target that potentially could have the desired receiver ( 102 ). for example , the candidate target can be an equipment van ( 104 ) disclosed by fig1 , or a window ( 108 ) as disclosed by fig1 and 2 . the laser pointer ( 300 ) is a source of laser radiation that emanates from the laser pointer ( 300 ) and is incident on the diffuser ( 302 ) to nominally enlarge the beam spread . further , the beam is incident on a distant candidate target . the energy of the incident beam illuminates the candidate target with an enlarged diffused bright spot , and not merely a narrow bulls - eye point of illumination . according to the invention , fig3 further discloses a reflector ( 304 ) mounted on a receiver ( 102 ) intended to establish a communications link with the transmitter ( 100 ). according to an embodiment of the invention the reflector ( 304 ) is an unmodulated reflector of incident laser radiation . the reflector ( 304 ) reflects the incident laser radiation backward toward the source . at the source , the reflected radiation appears as a bright point of light within the boundary of the bright spot of illumination produced by the beam energy incident on the candidate target , i . e ., the equipment van ( 104 ) or window ( 108 ). according to an embodiment of the invention , the reflector ( 304 ) includes a retroreflector , which further includes , and is not limited to , a corner cube reflector . a further description of a retroreflector is disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 663 , 246 , incorporated herein by reference . the retroreflector reflects the incident radiation at an energy loss that is less than the energy loss of reflection from the ordinary and usual , non - mirror surfaces of the candidate target and the receiver ( 102 ) at the candidate target . the operator at the source observes the reflected radiation to appear as a bright point of light of higher intensity compared to the diffused bright spot of incident laser illumination . the appearance of the bright point of light is a visual cue that the laser output radiation is incident on the receiver ( 102 ) on which the reflector ( 304 ) is mounted . to more precisely align the transmitter ( 100 ) with the receiver ( 102 ), an operator adjusts the position of the laser pointer ( 300 ) by itself , while visually observing the bright spot of illumination to move over the candidate target , until it appears to be substantially concentric with the diffused bright spot of incident light . thereby , the laser pointer ( 300 ) will be pointing toward the center of the diffused bright spot of incident laser illumination , which coincides with the optimum alignment of the pointer ( 300 ) on the transmitter ( 100 ) and the reflector ( 304 ) on the receiver ( 102 ). when the laser pointer ( 300 ) is separate from the transmitter ( 100 ), the operator adjusts the position of the transmitter ( 100 ) to align with the reflected laser illumination , for optimum alignment of the transmitter ( 100 ) and the receiver ( 102 ). alternatively , the laser pointer ( 300 ) is mounted on the transmitter ( 100 ), such that the operator adjusts the positions of the transmitter ( 102 ) and the laser pointer ( 300 ) together , as a unit . consequently , the transmitter ( 102 ) and receiver ( 102 ) are in direct , line - of - sight alignment for exchanging line - of - sight communications . the correct receiver ( 102 ) has been confirmed , because reflected radiation from the reflector ( 304 ) distinguishes the correct receiver ( 102 ) from other receivers without reflectors . further , the line - of - sight alignment has been confirmed with the correct transmitter ( 100 ) that uses the reflected radiation . ambient conditions of high intensity ambient light can substantially reduce the intensity contrast of the reflected illumination compared to the overall incident illumination , making it harder for an operator to visually distinguish the diffused bright spot of laser illumination . according to a further embodiment of the invention , an optoelectronic transducer ( 306 ) detects the reflected radiation , i . e . reflected laser radiation , and produces an electrical voltage output that varies with the amplitude of the detected radiation . an optoelectronic transducer includes , and is not limited to , a known photodiode or other known photodetector . the voltage output of the transducer ( 306 ) activates an audible alarm ( 308 ) that varies in volume intensity with the amplitude of the detected radiation . the transducer ( 306 ) and alarm ( 308 ) are mounted with the laser pointer ( 300 ). the laser pointer ( 300 ) is either separate from the transmitter ( 100 ), or alternatively , is mounted on the transmitter ( 100 ) or is part of an assembly with the transmitter ( 100 ). according to a further embodiment of the invention , a modulated light source produces coherent laser radiation . with reference to fig4 , the modulated light source includes a shutter in the form of a chopping wheel ( 400 ). for example , the chopping wheel ( 400 ) is a solid disc that has one or more apertures ( 402 ) that are spaced apart angularly about a central axis of rotation of the chopping wheel ( 400 ). the chopping wheel ( 400 ) is mounted on a rotatable shaft ( 404 ), and is rotated , either manually by an operator , or by an electric motor ( 406 ) driving the shaft ( 404 ). a constant speed motor ( 406 ) or a variable speed motor ( 406 ) controls the rotational velocity of the chopping wheel ( 400 ). the chopping wheel ( 404 ) rotates in front of the emanating radiation from the source , i . e ., the laser pointer ( 300 ) and diffuser ( 302 ). the chopping wheel ( 400 ), rotates such that each of the apertures ( 402 ) momentarily intercepts at least a portion of the emanating radiation , which imposes amplitude modulation on the radiation , depending on the rotational velocity , the size of the apertures ( 402 ), the percentage of the beam that is intercepted by the apertures ( 402 ), and the spacing apart of the apertures ( 404 ). further , the apertures ( 402 ) are either along the edge of the chopping wheel ( 400 ), or are fully encircled by the chopping wheel . further , a chopping frequency is imposed by the wheel ( 400 ) and the one or more apertures ( 404 ), which alternately block and transmit the radiation . accordingly , the energy of the modulated , diffused laser beam illuminates a candidate target , and illuminates a receiver ( 102 ) located at the candidate target . the unmodulated reflector ( 304 ) at the receiver ( 102 ) reflects illumination back to the source , where the operator observes that the reflected illumination varies in amplitude in synchronization with the modulation imposed by rotation of the chopping wheel ( 400 ). further , the rotational velocity of the chopping wheel ( 400 ) is kept constant or is varied under the control of the operator . for example , the operator varies the rotational velocity , and further observes whether the reflected illumination exhibits an amplitude that varies in corresponding synchronization with the varied rotational velocity of the chopping wheel ( 400 ). thus , the operator verifies that the reflector ( 304 ) at the receiver ( 102 ) is reflecting the modulated radiation that originates from the correct source , the correct source being the laser ( 300 ). a battery powered laser pointer ( 300 ) is used as the laser ( 300 ). the chopping wheel ( 400 ) is a mechanical shutter that is rotated by hand or , alternatively , is rotated by a battery powered electric motor ( 406 ). thereby , the electronic requirements of the invention are simplified for low cost production and for simplified field use . fig5 discloses a broadband communications apparatus ( 500 ) having an external communications antenna ( 502 ) for transmitting and / or receiving wireless broadband communications signals . for example , the communications apparatus ( 500 ) includes , but is not limited to , a video broadcast uplink ( 500 a ), a closed circuit video network ( 500 b ) and a broadband base station ( 500 c ) for establishing wireless broadband communications . the video broadcast uplink ( 500 a ) provides video broadcast coverage of events , such as , sporting events , which are relayed by the communications antenna ( 502 ) to a communications satellite . the closed circuit video network ( 500 b ) establishes video conferencing communications , or point - to - point video surveillance communications . the broadband base station ( 500 c ) processes broadband signals , such as , video , internet and voice over internet protocol and transmits and receives the same via the communications antenna ( 502 ). the laser aligned transmitter or receiver ( 100 ) establishes wireless communications with the receiver or transceiver ( 102 ), in turn , transmitting such communications over a communications link ( 504 ) with the communications apparatus ( 500 ). the communications link ( 504 ) includes , but is not limited to , a network connection , a direct link by wire or optical cable and a wireless link . the wireless link typically is established via the antenna ( 502 ). although the invention has been described in terms of exemplary embodiments , it is not limited thereto . rather , the appended claims should be construed broadly , to include other variants and embodiments of the invention , which may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and range of equivalents of the invention .
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the following detailed description is of the best presently contemplated mode of carrying out the invention . this description is not to be taken in a limiting sense , but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention since the scope of the invention best is defined by the appended claims . referring to fig1 there is shown a printer 9 employing the inventive mechanism 10 for adjusting the gap between a print head 11 and a platen 12 . the platen 12 is fixedly mounted to a frame 13 which also supports the other printer 9 components . the print head 11 is mounted on a carriage 14 which includes a cylindrical bearing 15 that surrounds a circular shaft 16 . the carriage 14 is driven along the shaft 16 by a motor 17 and belt 18 so as to transport the print head 11 across the page 19 being printed . although the invention is not so limited , the print head 11 may comprise a dot matrix print head of the type disclosed in the co - pending u . s . application , of peter wolfe et . al ser . no . 805 , 706 filed june 13 , 1977 , which is assigned to the same assignee as the present invention . the rear 14a of the carriage 14 is supported by rollers 20 that engage a bar 21 which is non - rigidly mounted to the frame 13 . as best evident in fig1 and 3 , the shaft 16 includes an integral , offset cylindrical spindle 16a , 16b at each end . the spindles 16a , 16b are coaxial and have a common axis 16c which is parallel to , but spaced from the axis of the shaft 16 . the spindles 16a , 16b are journal - mounted to the frame 13 by means of bearings 21a , 21b . the shaft 16 with its offset spindles 16a , 16b is the principal component of the inventive platen gap adjuster . by rotating the shaft 16 through a small angular amount about the spindle axis 16c , the offset axis of the shaft 16 will be displaced slightly in a lateral direction . since the shaft 16 engages the bearing 15 , such shaft 16 rotation will cause the carriage 14 and its print head 11 to be moved slightly toward or away from the platen 12 . such transverse movement in no way hinders the freedom of the carriage 11 to slide along the shaft 16 . at the rear of the carriage 14 , the slight transverse motion is accommodated by a commensurate slight movement of the bar 21 , the ends of which advantageously are pivotally mounted to the frame 13 by means of short pivot arms 22 . it will be appreciated that precise adjustment of the platen gap is accomplished by rotating the shaft 16 through fixed angles . this is accomplished by the cooperation of a lever arm 25 and a cam action knob 26 best shown in fig1 and 3 . one end 25a of the lever arm 25 is clamped to the spindle 16a . a thumb rest 25b is formed at the other end . a flat portion 25c ( fig2 ) of the lever arm 25 is biased into contact with a cam 26a on the knob 26 by means of a spring 27 . advantageously , the spring 27 is loosely coiled around the spindle 16a and has one end 27a affixed to the frame 13 and the other end 27b affixed to the lever arm 25 . the cam action knob 26 is mounted to the frame 13 by a shaft 26b . the circular base 26c of the knob 26 includes a set of angularly spaced detent holes 26e each at an equal radial distance from the shaft 26b . a rigid ball 28 , situated in an opening through the frame 13 , is caught between a leaf spring 29 on the outside of the frame 13 and one of the detent holes 26e . this arrangement maintains the cam action knob 26 in a fixed angular position , but allows rotation of that knob 26 through fixed angles corresponding to the distance between the detent holes 26e . the cam 26a is of eccentric , somewhat oval shape . it is an integral part of the knob 26 , and terminates in a knurled section 26d ( fig1 ) which serves as a finger grip for rotating the knob 26 . platen gap adjustment is accomplished by rotating the cam action knob 26 to a selected orientation between the extreme positions shown in solid and in phantom in fig2 . in the position shown in solid , the shaft 16 is oriented so that the print head 11 is closest to the platen 12 . as the knob 26 is rotated clockwise ( as viewed in fig2 ), the axis of the shaft 16 exhibits a horizontal component of motion to the left , thereby moving the print head 11 away from the platen 12 so as to increase the platen gap . precise gap adjustment is achieved . to aid the loading of paper 19 into the printer 9 , the lever arm 25 may be rotated away from the knob 26 , as to the position shown at 25 &# 34 ; in fig2 . this moves the print head 11 sufficiently far away from the platen 12 so as to permit insertion of the page 19 . at the same time , rotation of the lever arm 25 also moves a set of leaf spring fingers away from the platen 12 . these fingers 30 are used to urge the paper 19 against the platen 12 during printing . as shown in fig2 the fingers 30 are attached at their bottom end to a bar 31 which itself is mounted to an interconnection member 32 . the member 32 is pivotally mounted at one end 32a so that its other end 32b rides against the clamp portion 25a of the lever arm 25 . with this arrangement , when the lever arm 25 is moved to the extreme position 25 &# 34 ;, the fingers 30 will be spaced from the platen 12 so as to permit easy loading of the paper 19 . cylindrical bumpers 33 ( fig1 ) may be provided on the shaft 16 to aid in holding the page 19 against the platen 12 during printing . a pair of sprocket chains 34 are provided to advance the page 19 after each line has been printed . the chains 34 are driven by a motor 35 via a belt and pulley arrangement 36 .
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referring to fig1 there is shown a system 10 for in vivo diagnosis of dermatological tissues . the system 10 may be embodied in a handheld head 32 as shown in fig1 a and schematically in fig3 . referring more particularly to fig1 there is shown a system 10 ( or instrument ) which contains optics of the type which are used in optical data storage heads which are used in recording and reading optical disks . light from a laser diode , contained in a laser and collimator assembly 12 , is collimated by a diffraction limited lens in the assembly 12 and is incident at an oblique angle on a beam splitter assembly 14 . refraction at this oblique angle causes the elliptical laser diode beam to become circular in cross - section . the circular beam passes through the beam splitter assembly 14 and a quarter wave plate 16 and is focused into the tissue 22 via a contact window 20 ( a glass window plate ) spaced from the sample , specimen or tissue 22 being examined , preferably by an optical contact liquid 21 . in the event the sample is viscus or liquid , it may be located in a sample well ( not shown ). the circular beam which passes through the beam splitter assembly 14 and the quarter wave plate 16 is focused into the sample by a precision focusing lens 18 , which suitably has a numerical aperture of 0 . 5 and a focal length of 4 . 3 millimeters . these dimensions and parameters are exemplary and demonstrate that the optical system 10 may be miniaturized so as to be adapted to be handheld . the quarter wave plate 16 converts the incident linear polarization from the laser in assembly 12 to circular polarization , i . e ., the quarter wave plate is oriented 45 ° to the incident polarization . in other words , the beam from plate 16 is circularly polarized . the focusing lens 18 is movable both in a direction along its optical axis and laterally as indicated by the arrows 24 and 25 , respectively . position mechanical actuators 34 ( fig1 a ) may be used for moving the lens 18 , and thereby control position of the focus spot of beam in the sample . these actuators 34 may be similar to those used in optical disk systems . the lens 18 may be mounted on a pair of such mechanical actuators . the actuators 34 provide lateral and vertical scanning of the focused laser beam in the tissue sample . the focusing lens 18 also collects scattered light reflected from the sample . the amount of coherent light scattered back into the detection system ( which includes lens 18 , plate 16 and assembly 14 ) depends upon local variations of the refractive index and the absorption in the immediate neighborhood of the focus spot . this coherent light may be defined as the component of the reflected light having a circular polarization orthogonal to the polarization of the beam focused into the tissue sample . the scattered light is incident to plate 16 and then to beam splitter assembly 14 . the plate 16 converts the coherent component of the scattered light into linear polarization , where beam splitter assembly 14 directs by reflection ( or filters ) the coherent light component of the scattered light at the beam splitting surface 15 in the beam splitter assembly 14 . the reflected light passes through a relay lens 26 . the light from relay lens 26 may be reflected from a pair of fold mirrors 28 ( see also fig1 a ). these fold mirrors 28 may be part of the beam splitter assembly 14 . the relay lens 26 may also be part of this assembly 14 . the scanned light from the focus spot is reflected from the fold mirrors 28 to a pinhole photodetector assembly 30 , which may also be considered part of the detection system . the fold mirrors 28 are used to make the instrument more compact . a prism assembly may alternatively be used , which is part of the beam splitting assembly 14 , and allows the samples to be placed face down . this orientation allows gravity to assist in maintaining the sample in a stable viewing position . maintaining a stable viewing position is also enhanced by the use of the window 20 as shown in fig1 . a top view of the instrument is illustrated in fig1 a . typical dimensions are given in fig1 a to illustrate the compacted size of the confocal imaging head 32 . the elements in the head 32 may be located on a single board to provide unitized construction . the height of the head may be approximately two inches from the base to the nominal focal point of the focusing lens 18 . by scanning using the mechanical actuators 34 successive lines may be scanned at successive depths to provide images of vertical sections ( i . e ., along a vertical plane through the tissue sample ). if desired the images may be formed from horizontal sections ( i . e ., along a horizontal plane through the tissue sample ) as the lines are scanned horizontally . by tilting the sample , sections at desired angles to the surface of the sample ( i . e ., along a tilted or non - perpendicular plane ) may be formed , such sections may also be formed by moving the lens 18 via actuator 34 as desired angles . referring to fig2 there is shown a block diagram of the data acquisition and analysis system which is part of the imaging system 10 provided by the invention . the confocal head 32 is the head shown in fig1 and 1a . the output 36 from the head 32 is the output from the pinhole detector assembly 30 . this output 36 is the confocal detector signal . signals are also provided from sensors 38 , namely a lateral position sensor and a vertical position sensor . these signals after amplification and filtering are acquired by a analog to digital converter of a digital i / o board 40 . this board 40 may also be on a board with a circuit which provides a digital to analog channel to drive the lateral motion actuator . the vertical scanning actuator is driven from a signal derived from a conventional signal generator 42 . the a to d , d to a and digital i / o board 40 is controlled and data is acquired via software in a personal computer 44 , such as a macintosh quadra 950 . conventional software packages may be used for image analysis and for driving a display 46 , which is shown by way of example as a 1472 by 1088 pixel display . referring to fig3 there is shown the confocal imaging head 32 contacted against the skin 48 of a subject specimen using a mineral oil as an optical index matching fluid , which is an optical contact liquid 21 ( fig1 ) for reducing undesired reflections of light from the surface of the skin . the force against the skin 48 will be limited to that required to press the skin against the contact window 20 of the head 32 . a laser beam 50 which may be relatively low power ( e . g ., 6 . 3 milliwatts of optical power ) is focused into the dermis of the specimen . the laser is operated at a wavelength capable of penetrating into the skin of the specimen , thus the skin may be considered transparent to the laser wavelength ( or in other words , the skin is permeable to electromagnetic radiation of specified frequencies ). the depth of focal point or spot 52 is varied from the surface of the stratum corneum to a few millimeters below the surface of stratum corneum . the nominal beam spot size may be , for example , 2 . 5 micrometers , full width half maximum . the laser spot is scanned laterally across the skin , for example at a rate of 3 to 10 hz . different laser wavelengths may be selectively used for different resolution . inasmuch as the energy delivered is proportional to the illuminating flux focused divided by the diameter of the spot , the scan length and the scan rate or frequency , the amount of incident flux is sufficiently low that damage to the specimen is avoided . the light scattered by the tissue is collected and the lights coherent component is re - imaged onto the pinhole aperture 54 of assembly 30 , as shown in fig1 and 1a . the pinhole 54 transmits the coherent light from the focal region of the incident beam 53 to the detector 55 ( of assembly 30 ) where it converts the light into an electrical signal . as the lens 18 scans laterally , the electrical signal is acquired by the computer and stored . each scan represents a one dimensional trace of the reflectivity and scattering cross section of the dermis at a given level below the surface of the skin 48 . a series of scans are made with the focal point positioned at progressively lower depths thereby providing a vertical cross section image of the skin which may be similar to a b - scan ultrasound image . as stated earlier , these scans may also be horizontal to provide a horizontal cross - section , or at an angle to provide an angular cross - section of the skin . from the foregoing description it will be apparent that there has been provided an embodiment of a confocal imaging system for dermatological pathology applications . variations and modifications of the herein described system and other applications for the invention will undoubtedly suggest themselves to those skilled in the art . accordingly , the foregoing description should be taken as illustrative and not in a limiting sense .
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the invention is explained in greater detail in the following by reference to exemplary embodiments in the figures and is compared with a method according to the prior art . in one exemplary embodiment of the invention , a biological tissue is obtained from porcine pericardial tissue by mechanical removal of adhering foreign tissue and subsequent rinsing in isotonic saline solution ( fresenius - kabi ) for 20 hours . this tissue is subjected to decellularization with a detergent comprising a dpbs solution without calcium / magnesium ( lonza ; dpbs w / o ca ++/ mg ++; art . no . 17 - 512 ) and surfactin ( sigma - aldrich , surfactin from bacillus subtilis , art . no . s3523 ) in a concentration of 600 mg / l . the aforementioned exemplary embodiment according to the present invention is compared with two detergents according to the prior art . in the first example according to the prior art , the biological tissue is subjected to decellularization with a detergent containing sodium dodecyl sulfate ( sds ; sigma - aldrich , art . no . l3771 ) in a concentration of 5 g / l . the solvent used in this case as well is dpbs solution without calcium / magnesium ( lonza ; dpbs w / o ca ++/ mg ++; art . no . 17 - 512 ). in a second example according to the prior art , the biological tissue is subjected to decellularization with a detergent containing deoxycholic acid ( dca ; sigma - aldrich , art . no . d6750 ) in a concentration of 10 g / l . isotonic saline solution ( fresenius - kabi ) is used as the solvent in this case . fig1 shows the comparison of the dna content after decellularization between the exemplary embodiment according to the invention and the two examples according to the prior art . in fig1 , the dna content of the pericardial tissue after decellularization is plotted on the ordinate in % of the original dna content before decellularization . in each case , the dna content was plotted after the biological tissue had been in the respective washing solution for 1 hour , 3 hours , and 20 hours . the dna content is a direct measure of the removal of cellular components from the biological tissue . with the aid of the detergent for decellularization containing dca , the dna content is reduced to approximately 4 % after three hours . as is evident in fig1 , the dna content can be reduced to a similar value after 20 hours in the surfactin - containing detergent of the exemplary embodiment of the invention . the extent of decellularization of pericardial tissue achieved with surfactin within 20 hours corresponds to that of deoxycholic acid . the values of the dna content for the detergent containing sds are comparable in this case only to a limited extent , since sds induces a very pronounced structual change of proteins and massively impairs the dna detection method , with clearly visible decellularization . the serious advantages of the method according to the invention compared to decellularization processes according to the prior art are shown in fig2 through fig3 d . fig2 shows , on the ordinate ( enlarged scale , zero point not shown ), the shrinkage temperature of the decellularized tissue after treatment with the three aforementioned detergents as compared to the shrinkage temperature of the native tissue . due to the dominant portion of collagen in the extracellular matrix of pericardial tissue , the shrinkage temperature is the temperature at which the protein thermally denatures collagen , i . e . irreversibly changes the spatial structure thereof . as a result of the structural change of the collagen molecules , the tissue undergoes massive , irreversible structural changes , which become less pronounced , as is clearly visible , when the shrinkage temperature is reached . the shrinkage temperature was determined in experimentation by means of differential scanning calorimetry ( dsc ). in this method , the temperature of the sample to be measured is increased linearly over time and the flow of heat into or out of the sample is measured relative to a reference sample . if thermodynamic processes occur in the sample , e . g . the irreversible structural change of the collagen , a distinct peak forms at the shrinkage temperature in the thermogram that is measured . the level of the shrinkage temperature is a direct indicator of the stability of the spatial structure of the collagen molecules . the least possible change compared to the state in native tissue is therefore a direct indication , at the molecular level , of the markedly more gentle decellularization by surfactin . as is clearly evident in fig2 , the shrinkage temperature of the pericardial tissue after decellularization according to the exemplary embodiment of the invention is nearly identical to the shrinkage temperature of the untreated native pericardial tissue . the decellularization according to the two exemplary embodiments of the prior art with dca and sds , however , result in a shrinkage temperature that is markedly reduced , by 3 ° c . and 5 ° c ., respectively , and , therefore , to a markedly impaired tissue structure . the mechanical properties of the native biological tissue and the tissue after decellularization according to the invention are therefore very similar . with the aid of the method according to the invention , the decellularization therefore takes place in a very gentle method , as demonstrated . the different impairment of the tissue structure is also shown in the electron - microscopic images of the native tissue and the tissue after decellularization with the aforementioned detergents , wherein these images are shown in fig3 a - d . the images exhibit great similarity in the comparison of the native tissue in fig3 a with the decellularized tissue according to the aforementioned exemplary embodiment of the invention in fig3 b . both tissues show a plurality of collagen fibers and strands that are separated from one another . by comparison , the tissue shown in fig3 c and fig3 d is markedly changed after decellularization with the stated detergents according to the prior art . smaller collagen fibers , in particular , tend to attach themselves to one another in this case . as a result , the tissue structure is markedly changed and , in the electron - microscopic images , appears to be much more compact . fig4 shows the absorption of m86 antibodies on treated tissue . in the graph , two types of tissue are compared : native tissue , which has not been decellularized , and decellularized tissue . comparison values are contained on the right - hand side of the graph : m86 initial , nativ and decell give the absorption values for tissue that has not been treated with α - galactosidase . here , the native tissue demonstrates the highest value of α - gal epitopes . m86 initial specifies the absorption at which no absorption of the antibodies has taken place . this value constitutes the limit value for tissue on which α - gal epitopes are no longer present . from the comparison of m86 initial , nativ and decell , it can be seen that the decellularization already removes a significant quantity of α - gal epitopes ( comparison of decell and nativ ). however , it is also clear that a significant quantity of α - gal epitopes remain on the tissue ( comparison of decell and m86 initial ). the further absorption data shows the influence of the treatment with α - galactosidases on the concentration of α - gal epitopes on the surface of the tissue . the α - galactosidases of green coffee bean ( gcb , sigma aldrich ) at a concentration of 1 unit per ml could not remove all α - gal epitopes ( comparison of m86 initial and gcb * 5u ). however , due to the use of 1u of the α - galactosidase of green coffee bean , the concentration of α - gal epitopes on the surface is considerably reduced ( comparison of decell / nativ and gcb * 1u ). if the high concentration of 5 units per ml of the α - galactosidase of green coffee bean is used , practically all α - gal epitopes on the surface of the tissue can be removed ( comparison of m86 initial and gcb * 5u ). the extraordinary suitability of the α - galactosidase of cucumis melo ( cmg , cucumis melo galactosidase ) will be explained hereinafter on the basis of fig4 . if the comparatively low concentration of 1 unit per ml is used , all α - gal epitopes on the surface of the tissue can be removed ( comparison of m86 initial with cmg * 1u ). it has also been found that in the case of decellularized tissue just 1 / 10 of a unit is sufficient to remove practically all α - gal epitopes on the surface of the tissue ( comparison of m86 initial with cmg decell 0 . 1u ). in the case of native tissue approximately all α - gal epitopes on the surface of the tissue are removed at this extremely low concentration ( comparison of m86 initial with cmg native 0 . 1u ). it has thus been found that α - galactosidases of cucumis melo can remove α - gal epitopes on the surface of the tissue in a highly efficient manner , and moreover much better than α - galactosidases of green coffee bean . fig5 shows , in addition to the above data in fig4 , the relative performance of an α - galactosidase of aspergillus niger . again , the comparison values of m86 initial , native and decellularized are shown , wherein m86 initial again describes the value at which it is assumed that α - gal epitopes are no longer present on the surface of the tissue , whereas native and decellularized specify the values of tissue that has not been treated with α - galactosidase . native tissue at a concentration of 5 units / ml forms the basis . it can be seen , as already clear from fig4 , that the α - galactosidase of green coffee bean ( gcb ) is able to remove α - gal epitope on the surface of the tissue . by comparison , however , it can be seen that the acidic α - galactosidase of aspergillus niger ( an ) is hardly able at this concentration to remove α - gal epitopes on the surface of the tissue . hereinafter , an embodiment of an entire method for preparing biological tissue for implant applications according to the present proposal will be described in detail in 12 steps . in step 1 , a pericardium is removed from a pig in a slaughterhouse and is stored in a sterile isotonic sodium chloride solution ( 9 g / l ; fresenius - kabi ) at a temperature of 4 ° c . for 2 hours . the solution contains sodium chloride as well as penicillin and / or streptomycin to kill bacterial germs . in step 2 , the tissue is prepared , moist , in a sodium chloride solution ( 9 g / l ; fresenius - kabi ). that is , the layers of the pericardium are separated from one another , adhering fatty and connective tissue is carefully removed , and the tissue is cut to the size and shape for the desired application . after rinsing with a sodium chloride solution ( 9 g / l ; fresenius - kabi ) with slight movement of the tissue in step 3 , the tissue is decellularized in step 4 . the decellularization in step 4 takes place with a detergent comprising a buffer solution containing surfactin ( the structure of surfactin is depicted in fig6 ). in this exemplary embodiment of the invention , surfactin ( sigma - aldrich , surfactin from bacillus subtilis , art . no . s3523 ) having a concentration of 600 mg / l is dissolved in a dpbs phosphate buffer solution ( lonza ; dpbs w / o ca ++/ mg ++; art . no . 17 - 512 ). the tissue remains in this washing solution for 20 hours at 37 ° c . the tissue is then cleaned nearly entirely of cellular components located therein without substantially changing the structure of the collagen fibers . in step 5 the tissue is rinsed in 100 ml sodium chloride solution ( 9 g / l ; company fresenius - kabi ) at room temperature with slight movement . step 5 is repeated here in this exemplary embodiment of the invention 8 times for 10 minutes . the tissue is then treated in step 6 with α - galactosidase of cucumis melo with a concentration of 1 unit per ml ( 1 u / ml ) in dpbs at room temperature and a ph of 7 . 4 for 24 hours and is then rinsed with 200 ml dpbs . the rinsing process is repeated here six times . the α - galactosidase of cucumis melo was commercially obtained from sigma aldrich . in step 7 the tissue is rinsed for 10 minutes at 37 ° c . with 100 ml of a 70 % ethanol solution . in step 8 a further rinsing step in 100 ml sodium chloride solution ( 9 g / l ; company fresenius - kabi ) is performed with slight movement . in step 9 the collagen fibers are cross - linked with a cross - linking agent . in this exemplary embodiment of the invention the tissue is placed for 48 hours at a temperature of 4 ° c . in a solution containing glutaraldehyde ( company sigma - aldrich , product no . f5882 ) at ph 7 . 4 . the glutaraldehyde - containing solution consists of glutaraldehyde with a concentration of 6 g / l in dpbs without calcium and magnesium ( company lonza ; dpbs w / o ca ++/ mg ++; product no . 17 - 512 ). step 10 repeats step 9 at room temperature . step 10 is carried out for 14 days , wherein the solution is replaced every 48 hours . in step 11 the tissue is rinsed in this exemplary embodiment of the invention 6 times for 20 minutes at room temperature with slight movement with 100 ml sodium chloride solution ( 9 g / l ; company fresenius - kabi ). after a rinsing process in step 11 , the tissue can be stored in glutaraldehyde or processed further in step 12 the exemplary embodiment described here is intended to clarify the invention . the number and / or design of the rinsing steps ( in particular the concentration and composition of the solution for rinsing , or of the buffer solution ) can be varied by a person skilled in the art as he sees fit .
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the objective of improved constancy of the deposition efficiency is achieved with the powder - spraying apparatus according to the invention by a ratio between internal and external currents being set specifically , and changing only within narrow limits when there are changes in a distance between an electrode and a work piece . at a typical nominal distance of 200 mm from the work piece , about 70 % of the current flows via the electrodes for an internal charging , and 30 % via an external electrode . in all the figures of the drawing , sub - features and integral parts that correspond to one another bear the same reference symbol in each case . referring now to the figures of the drawing in detail and first , particularly , to fig1 thereof , there is shown a front view and a side view of a ring 1 made of a high - resistance material . the high - resistance material used for the ring 1 and further high - resistance components — described below — may be , for example , a plastic which is filled with graphite , carbon black or other conductive materials . a number of needle - like internal high - voltage electrodes 2 are inserted into the ring 1 , distributed uniformly over its internal circumference . the ring 1 can be connected to a high - voltage source ( cascade ) 6 via a high - resistance rod 3 ( see fig2 and fig5 ). a connection point 11 for the rod 3 is located at a center of a ring portion located between two of the electrodes 2 . a needle - like external high - voltage electrode 5 is connected to the rod 3 at a connection point 12 via a high - resistance pin 4 . the current and voltage distribution which can be achieved with such a configuration is determined by the resistance values of the components 1 , 3 and 4 and the current / voltage characteristic of the gas discharge paths of the : for improved understanding , fig2 shows the complete electric equivalent circuit of the configuration shown in fig1 which is connected to the high - voltage cascade 6 . the cascade 6 is simulated by an ideal voltage source having a voltage u 0 and a resistance r i . the discharge paths for an internal charging 7 and an external charging 8 are given by their current / voltage characteristics . portions of the ring 1 located between the internal electrodes 2 are in each case simulated by resistances r 1 . the resistance of the rod 3 is divided by the connection point 12 for the pin 4 into resistances r 2 and r 3 . the rod 4 is simulated by the resistance r 4 . for the purpose of configuring the resistances , a simplification of the equivalent circuit is expedient , and this is shown in fig3 . a resistance r a combines the resistances r i and r 3 . the components that are relevant to the internal discharge have been combined , to a first approximation , by a resistance r b and a gas discharge path 9 . r c is equal to r 4 . associated typical current / voltage characteristics are illustrated by way of example in fig4 . the characteristic curve 10 applies to the internal discharge , and characteristic curves 11 and 12 apply to the external discharge at two different distances from the work piece . the distance in the case of characteristic curve 11 is smaller than in the case of characteristic curve 12 . the characteristic curves can be approximated using the below listed equations . the internal discharge − i i = c i ( u i − u i0 ) 2 , where c i and u i0 are characteristic variables that depend on a geometric construction of the gun , and depend in particular on the distance of the needle - electrode ring from the internal earth electrode . the external discharge − i a = c a ( u a − u a0 ) 2 , c a and u a0 are characteristic variables that depend both on the geometric construction of the gun but , to a significantly greater extent , on the distance between the gun and the work piece and also on a shape of the work piece . the result is therefore different characteristics for different positions of the work piece . the characteristic variables c i , u i0 , c a and u a0 can be determined from the geometric dimensions and the material characteristics , using a numerical field calculation . however , an experimental check is to be recommended . the influence of the quantity of powder delivered can be neglected here . the equivalent circuit is described by the following system of equations : u 0 = r a c a ( u a − u a0 ) 2 +( r a + r b ) c i ( u i − u i0 ) 2 + u i , u 0 = r a c i ( u i − u i0 ) 2 +( r a + r c ) c i ( u a − u a0 ) 2 + u a . using these equations , the values for the resistances can be optimized . the following guide values having emerged from an exemplary embodiment : for r c , it is true to a first approximation that the greater r c is , the greater is the edge effect . the resistance r 1 should lie in the range of about 10 mω to about 30 mω . this resistance prevents field strength peaks , and hence high currents , occurring in the event of direct contact between the powder and the internal needles . fig5 shows the powder - spraying apparatus disclosed in international patent application wo 98 / 24555 . the spray gun disclosed has a chamber 100 , into which a powder / air mixture pl can be introduced . the spray gun contains an earth electrode 20 , the needle - like internal high - voltage electrodes 2 disposed distributed on a metal ring 150 , and the at least one external high - voltage electrode 5 configured as a needle . the high - voltage source 6 configured as a high - voltage cascade supplies high voltage to the electrodes 5 , 2 via an electrical connection 30 and the ring 150 . the inventive features of fig1 are to replace equivalent features shown in fig5 for providing a better consistency in the delivery of the powder .
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referring to the drawings , a conventional internal combustion engine 10 has been fragmentarily depicted in fig1 and 4 . the engine 10 includes a cylinder block 12 containing a combustion chamber or cylinder 14 therein , being one of any number of cylinders . associated with the cylinder block 12 is a cylinder head 16 . an inlet valve port 18 has a passage 20 connecting with the intake manifold ( not shown ) of the engine 10 . conventionally included is an inlet valve indicated generally by the reference numeral 22 . more specifically , the inlet valve 22 includes a head 24 having a beveled surface that effectively closes the inlet port 18 when the valve has moved sufficiently upwardly . the valve 22 further includes a stem 26 having a lash cap 28 mounted at its upper end . a retainer 36 maintains a coil spring 32 captive so that the valve 22 , that is , its head 24 , is biased upwardly into a closed or seated position when not forced open , all as will presently become manifest . connected to the crankshaft ( not shown ) in a conventional manner is a camshaft 34 . in this instance , the camshaft 34 is tubular , having a passage or bore 36 extending therethrough so that oil can be transmitted for lubricating purposes presently to be referred to . the foregoing has dealt with parts of a conventional engine . nonetheless , it has been thought important to show and describe sufficient parts of a conventional engine , such as that denoted generally by the reference numeral 10 , in order that the operation of my valve actuating apparatus , denoted generally by the reference numeral 40 , can better be understood . it will be appreciated that the apparatus 40 comprises a cam unit or eccentric assembly indicated by the reference numeral 42 , the cam unit 42 being fixedly carried on the camshaft 34 . the hollow configuration of the camshaft 34 has been referred to so it should now be noted that there is an oil hole or passage 44 provided in the cam unit 42 which hole or passage 44 connects with the bore 36 so that oil will be discharged radially outwardly through the hole 44 onto parts presently to be referred to . the cam unit 42 plays a very important role in realizing the objects of my invention . first , attention is called to the presence of a divorced base circle cam indicated by the reference numeral 46 , this cam 46 being centrally located on the unit 42 . actually , the sectional view appearing in fig3 extends through the centrally located base circle cam 46 . flanking the base circle cam 46 are two identical minor lobe cams 48 . the cam unit 42 additionally includes another pair of identical cams , these being major lobe cams that carry the reference numeral 50 . the base circle cam 46 has a profile or contour denoted generally by the reference numeral 56 , the profile 56 consisting of a base circle portion 56a which subtends an arc of slightly less than 180 camshaft degrees , a short sloping ramp portion 56b of only a few camshaft degrees inclining outwardly to an increased radius eccentric or divorce portion 56c differing in radius from the radius of the base circle portion 56a by about 0 . 010 inch ( or whatever the expected lash happens to be ) and also spanning an arc slightly less than 180 camshaft degrees , and an inwardly sloping ramp portion 56d extending over the same small camshaft angle as the portion 56b , the portion 56d decreasing in radius from the larger radius portion 56c back to the radius of the base circle portion 56a . in order for the eccentricity of the portion 56c to be noticed , an arc 57 having the same radius as the base circle portion 56a has been superimposed on fig3 that is , radially inwardly from the portion 56c by an amount equal to the lash to be compensated for . the profile for the minor lobe cams 48 , both of which are identically contoured , has been labeled 58 , being composed in each instance of a base circle portion 58a having a radius equal to that of the base circle portion 56a of the profile 56 on the cam 46 , the portion 58a spanning the same arc as the same base circle portion 56a , a ramp portion 58b of only a few degrees that increases in radius to a lobe portion 58c of somewhat larger radius and subtending an angle of approximately 15 degrees , and a sloping ramp portion 54d that decreases in radius from the lobe portion 58c back to the radius of the base circle portion 58a ( and the radius of the base circle portion 56a ). although configured differently , the profile , which has been indicated by the reference numeral 60 , for the cams 50 includes in each instance a base circle portion 60a embracing the same arc and having the same radius as the base circle portions 56a and 58a , a sloping ramp portion 60b extending over an arc of 20 degrees or so and increasing in radius to a lobe portion 60c subtending an arc of approximately 35 degrees , and a sloping ramp portion 60d that decreases in diameter back to the base circle portion 60a , the portion 60d extending over an angle generally equal to that of the portion 60b . at this time , attention is directed to a lower rocker arm denoted by the reference numeral 62 . the rocker arm 62 is formed with a ramp section 64 that curves upwardly from the right end , as can be seen from fig1 and 4 . integral with the underside of the right end of the rocker arm 62 is a rounded nub 66 that engages the lash cap 28 at the upper end of the valve stem 26 . the lower rocker arm 62 is mounted for pivotal movement on a shaft 67 providing a fixed axis ; the shaft may be tubular . the shaft 67 is clamped in place by reason of blocks 68 having hold - down bolts 70 extending downwardly therethrough into the head 16 . as will be discerned from fig4 there are two sets of blocks 68 , the lower rocker arm 62 being pivotally mounted on the shaft 67 between the two pairs of blocks 68 which prevent lateral shifting of the rocker arm 62 on the shaft 67 . it will be appreciated that the rocker arm 62 , which has the rounded nub 66 thereon , is instrumental in acting against the lash cap 28 so as to open and close the valve 22 . it will be observed that the shaft 67 has been shown as being quite short ; actually , it can extend the entire length of the head 16 so as to accommodate a rocker arm 62 for each of the inlet valves , say four if the engine is a four - cylinder one , since there is one inlet valve 22 for each cylinder or combustion chamber 14 . in practice , there is also an exhaust valve ( not shown ) for each cylinder or combustion chamber 14 . however , it is thought that showing but a single inlet valve 22 will be adequate for understanding the benefits to be derived from my invention . reference will now be made to an upper rocker arm 72 having a composite ramp or follower section indicated generally by the reference numeral 74 . in a sense , the ramp section 74 can be considered to possess a stepped configuration when viewed from the left end in fig4 . thus , there is a rib 76 that is centrally located , the rib 76 provides a central flat follower portion or working surface 78 that is engaged by the divorced base circle cam 46 . there are two flanking follower portions or working surfaces 80 , the portions 80 in each instance including a straight section 80a and a curved section 80b . the portions 80 , it will be understood , are engaged by the minor lobe cams 48 . still further , there are two outer follower portions or working surfaces 82 , each being composed of a straight section 82a and a curved section 82b . more will be said presently concerning the coaction of the cam unit 42 with the composite ramp section 74 , especially the interrelation of the profiles 56 , 58 and 60 with the follower portions 78 , 80 and 82 , respectively . it will be noted , though , that the left or free end of the upper rocker arm 72 is formed with an integral rounded pad 84 which bears against whatever portion of the ramp section 64 over which it is positioned . the end of the upper rocker arm 72 remote from the end thereof having the rounded pad 84 thereon is pivotally carried or mounted on a relatively short shaft 86 , the ends of the shaft 86 being mounted in parallel strips or arms 88 . the lower ends of the arms 88 are pivotal on a shaft 90 clamped in blocks 92 by means of hold - down bolts 94 that extend into the head 16 in much the same manner as do the earlier - mentioned bolts 70 . disposed between the arms 88 at the upper ends thereof is a shaft 96 having a sleeve 98 rotatably carried thereon . in this way , the sleeve 98 can oscillate or swivel about the shaft 96 . extending from the sleeve 98 is a threaded rod 100 that is radially received in the sleeve 98 , being held in place by lock nuts 102 . what will be termed an operating mechanism , which has been denoted generally by the reference numeral 110 , includes a rod 112 which is actually the extension of the threaded rod 100 . it is not believed necessary to show the extension 112 in any detail . however , it connects with a hydraulic servomechanism or hydraulic amplifier labeled 114 . there is still another rod 116 that links the hydraulic servo 114 to an accelerator pedal 118 that is pivotally attached or mounted at its lower ends to the floorboard 120 of a vehicle by means of a pivot pin 122 . biasing the accelerator pedal 118 in a clockwise direction , as viewed in fig1 is a coil spring 124 . thus , whereas the accelerator pedal 118 could be connected directly to the upper end of the parallel arms 88 via the sleeve 98 , it is better to have the foot pressure exerted on the pedal 118 amplified . actually , where my invention is incorporated into engines other than those installed on a vehicle , the arms 88 can be manually actuated . having presented the foregoing description , the manner in which my valve actuating apparatus operates should be readily understood . nevertheless , in order to assure a full appreciation of the benefits to be derived , several operating modes will be referred to . first , during deceleration , there is no need for fuel to be drawn into the combustion chamber 14 of the exemplary engine 10 . with my invention , this is achieved by removing foot pressure from the pedal 118 . this results in the hydraulic amplifier 114 pivoting the arms 88 in a clockwise direction beyond the phantom line position of fig1 ( or fig2 ) with the consequence that the upper rocker arm 72 is shifted or pulled sufficiently to the right so that only the base circle portions 56a , 58a and 60a of the cams 46 , 48 and 50 , respectively effectively engage the rocker arm 72 . ( when the amplifier 114 is not used , the direct linkage comprised of the links 112 , 116 would be employed .) as the camshaft 34 rotates , the base circle portion 56a and the eccentric or divorced portion 56c successively act against the flat portion 76 , the sloping or ramp portions 56b and 56d producing a smooth transition during each revolution . the point to be understood , though , is that the valve 22 remains closed during this operational mode , for the increased radius of the eccentric portion 56c only compensates for whatever clearance or lash exists . with the valve 22 closed , it is obvious that no fuel / air charge enters the combustion chamber 14 . with no fuel in the chamber 14 , there is no combustion and hence no exhaust gases and emissions . however , when the engine 10 is to operate in a low performance manner , such as when cruising , it follows that the accelerator 118 will be only slightly depressed by the vehicle driver . this illustratively produces the position of the arms 88 and the upper rocker arm 72 presented in solid outline in fig1 . under these circumstances , the two minor lobe cams become effectual , their profiles 58 bearing against the twin follower portions 80 on the rocker arm 72 . obviously , the amount of mixed fuel and air is throttled down more under these conditions than the conditions portrayed in fig2 . it will be appreciated that the amount of valve opening , the change from phantom to solid line position , has been exaggerated somewhat in order to avoid an overlap of solid and phantom lines in the drawing . however , with a small amount of valve opening , which is caused by the lobe portions 58c acting against the follower portions 80 , it will be appreciated that a venturi action results in which the velocity of the fuel / air charge entering the combustion chamber 14 via the port 18 is increased with an accompanying increase in turbulence , which contributes appreciably to more complete ignition due to atomization of the fuel / air mixture at the last possible opportunity prior to combustion . in a performance mode , however , the amount of fuel and air must be increased . this is achieved by forcing the valve 22 open to a greater extent . this is done in the exemplary case by depressing the accelerator pedal 118 so that the amplifier 114 pivots the arms 88 into their solid line position pictured in fig2 . in this situation , the lobe portions 60c act against the two outer follower portions 82 on the rocker arm 72 . since the lobe portions 60c extend a greater radial distance from the camshaft 34 than do the lobe portions 54c , it follows that the valve 22 will be forced open to a greater degree in fig2 than in fig1 . it will be appreciated that the profiles 56 , 58 and 60 , particularly the latter two , can be contoured or configured to coact with their respective follower surfaces 78 , 80 and 82 to produce various duration and lift patterns . it should also be understood that the economy and performance operational modes achieved with the cams 48 and 50 , as they have been profiled , can provide a myriad of transitional modes depending upon the specific position of the upper rocker arm 72 as determined by the position of the accelerator pedal 118 . in other words , the operator can readily effect small progressively smooth movements of the valve 22 that best suit the particular load imposed upon the engine 10 . the invention is best described in relation to a single inlet valve 22 . it will be recognized that there is an inlet valve 22 for each cylinder or combustion chamber 14 , and that there is a cam unit 42 for each chamber 14 . obviously , while not depicted , there is also an exhaust valve for each chamber 14 , the opening and closing of which is related to the opening and closing of the inlet valve 22 with which it coacts . conventional cam arrangements can be employed for the various exhaust valves , my invention being sufficiently versatile to permit this .
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preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings . [ 0029 ] fig1 is a schematic sectional view showing a structure of a fuel cell according to a first embodiment of the present invention . the fuel cell includes at least a cell unit ( hereinafter , sometimes simply referred to as “ fuel cell body ”) 19 - 1 having an electrolyte / electrode joined member 30 and a fuel unit 19 - 2 in which fuel is stored . in fig1 the electrolyte / electrode joined member 30 has an oxidizer electrode 13 having a catalyst on the upper surface of an electrolyte membrane 11 and a fuel electrode 12 having a catalyst on the lower surface of the electrolyte membrane 11 . further , the electrolyte / electrode joined member 30 has spherical ( bead ) spacers 14 on the upper surface of the oxidizer electrode 13 and a separator 16 having a fuel flow path on the lower surface of the fuel electrode 12 . further , a housing 17 of the cell unit having the electrolyte / electrode joined member has holes 18 made on the oxidizer electrode side for taking in air , and an oxidizing gas / water permeable membrane 15 is provided between the housing 17 and the spherical spacers 14 . reference numeral 100 denotes a fuel and 101 denotes an electric power taking out terminal . as the electrolyte membrane 11 , there may be used a perfluorocarbon , non - perfluoro , hybrid ion - exchange membrane or the like . in particular , a perfluorosulfonic acid electrolyte membrane , a perfluorocarboxylic acid membrane , a styrene ( vinyl benzene ) membrane , a quaternary ammonium anion exchange membrane , and the like can be appropriately selected and used . further , a membrane formed of , for example , benzimidazole polymers coordinated with phosphoric acid and a membrane formed of polyacrylic acid impregnated with a concentrated potassium hydroxide solution are also effective as the electrolyte membrane . as commercial products , “ nafion ” of dupont , “ flemion ” of asahi glass , “ aciplex ” of asahi chemical , and the like are commercially available . the electrolyte membrane of the present invention is not particularly limited as long as it is a polymer electrolyte membrane and has a high protonic conductivity , chemical and electrochemical stability , gas impermeability , and a mechanical strength . as the catalysts of the fuel electrode and the oxidizer electrode , there may preferably be used a platinum group metal such as platinum , rhodium , palladium , ruthenium , iridium , etc ., an iron group metal such as iron , cobalt , nickel , etc ., or an alloy thereof , and at least one of these metals is deposited to and fixed on the surfaces of the polymer membrane on both the electrode sides thereof by chemical plating or the like . these catalysts can be also fixed by coating or pressure - bonding metal powder on the surfaces of the membrane . further , there is also a method of dispersing the catalyst metal on surfaces of carbon particles in a microparticulate state and fixing the catalyst - carrying carbon particles on the surfaces of the polymer membrane . as described above , as to the types and the carrying amounts of the catalysts of the fuel electrode and the oxidizer electrode , and as to the method of carrying the catalysts , conventional techniques used to constitute a solid polymer type fuel cell , and conventional techniques used to constitute electrodes for water electrolysis using a solid polymer membrane may be as such employed . as the oxidizer electrode , there are used those materials having conductivity and gas permeability such as a porous metal thin film , a conductive carbon thin film , and the like . as the fuel electrode , there are used those conductors having gas permeability and a low resistance such as porous metal , conductive carbon , and the like . the fuel is brought into contact in a gaseous or liquid state with the fuel electrode . although the fuel may be continuously or intermittently supplied , it may be filled in a space on the fuel electrode side . although the oxidizer is supplied to the oxidizer electrode side through the gas permeable membrane from the atmosphere , an oxidizing gas storage unit may be provided to supply the oxidizer therefrom . next , the spherical spacers as a principal feature of the present invention will be explained . the spherical spacers have diameters of , for example , several micrometers to several tens of micrometers and the dispersion thereof represented in terms of standard deviation / average particle diameter is as small as several % to show a high dimensional accuracy . as the materials , those having an insulation property such as silica , resin , and the like are basically used . as such spherical spacers , for example , spherical spacers for use in a liquid crystal display may preferably be used . as a method of spraying the spacers , a wet spray method or a dry spray method may be used . for example , the wet spray method and dry spray method that are used to manufacture an ordinary liquid crystal display may be adopted . the spray density represented in terms of an occupied area ratio ranges from several % to 91 % that is attained by in - plane close packing . when the spacers are spherical beads having diameters of several micrometers to several tens of micrometers , it is possible to spray them in the number of several hundreds to several tens of thousands per 1 mm 2 . in particular , it is desirable to spray them in the number of about one to ten thousands per 1 mm 2 . further , the methods of providing the surface of the spacer with hydrophilicity are not particularly limited and include , for example , a method of covering the surface with a hydrophilic material and a method of irradiating the surface with an electron beam , uv ray , or the like in an appropriate atmosphere . the fuel cell of the present invention is advantageous in that the output density is high , and that the operating temperature is as low as 100 ° c . or less , whereby long - term durability is expectable and the handling is easy , and can therefore be utilized for portable equipments such as mobile phones , cameras , video cameras , notebook personal computers , and the like or as a mobile power supply . incidentally , it should be noted that the fuel cell of present invention is characterized in that the spherical spacers are disposed at least on the oxidizer electrode side , and no restriction is imposed on the design of the fuel cell such as selection of catalysts , a method of forming catalyst layers , structure of electrodes for current collection , selection of fuel , a method of supplying fuel and air , and the like . the present invention will be specifically described with reference to examples thereof . [ 0044 ] fig1 shows a sectional view of a fuel cell as a first example of the present invention . the fuel cell includes at least a cell unit ( fuel cell body ) 19 - 1 having an electrolyte / electrode joined member 30 , a fuel unit 19 - 2 for storing a fuel 100 , and power taking out terminals 101 . in fig1 the electrolyte / electrode joined member 30 includes an oxidizer electrode 13 having a catalyst on the upper surface of an electrolyte membrane 11 and a fuel electrode 12 having a catalyst on the lower surface thereof . the electrolyte membrane 11 is composed of , for example , a polymeric material having a protonic conductivity , specifically nafion ( trade name ; produced by dupont ). the oxidizer electrode 13 and the fuel electrode 12 are composed of , for example , carbon powder containing platinum microparticles . the electrolyte / electrode joined member 30 has spherical bead spacers 14 on the upper surface of the oxidizer electrode 13 and a separator 16 with a fuel flow path on the lower surface of the fuel electrode 12 . as the spherical bead spacers 14 , micropearl ( trade name ; produced by sekisui chemical co ., ltd .) having a particle diameter of 8 μm is used and uniformly sprayed on the electrolyte / electrode joined member 30 . about one thousand of spherical bead spacers are sprayed per 1 mm 2 using a spray method employed in an ordinary liquid crystal display manufacturing process . the separator 16 with the fuel flow path provided on the fuel electrode 12 side forms a flow path groove of several μm in width and several μm in depth and serves as a fuel supply passage . further , electrical conductivity is imparted to the fuel electrode 12 side to play a role as a current collector on the fuel electrode 12 side . a housing 17 of the cell unit 19 - 1 having the electrolyte / electrode joined member 30 is provided on the oxidizer electrode 13 side thereof with a plurality of holes 18 through which air is taken in and water is removed . an oxidizer gas / water permeable membrane 15 is provided between the housing 17 and the spherical spacers 14 . in this example , hydrogen is used as the fuel , oxygen is used as the oxidizer , and a hydrogen storage alloy is used as a material of the fuel storage unit . with the fuel cell of this example that generates an electric power through a reaction of hydrogen and oxygen when connected to an external electrical load , the use of the spherical spacers makes it possible to increase the space of the flow path on the oxidizer electrode side thereby smoothly supplying oxygen , and making the surface of the spacers more hydrophilic than the surface of the electrolyte / electrode joined member enables water to be effectively removed . further , the spherical spacers can reduce the area in which they come into contract with the electrolyte / electrode joined member . with these effects , a greater amount of power can be obtained as compared with a case when a conventional separator is used . [ 0051 ] fig2 shows a sectional view of a fuel cell as a second example of the present invention . the fuel cell includes at least a cell unit 29 - 1 having electrolyte / electrode joined members 40 , a fuel unit 29 - 2 for storing a fuel 200 , and power take - out terminals 201 . the stack fuel cell of this example is characterized in that electrodes are disposed such that the same kind of electrodes ( that is , fuel electrodes or oxidizer electrodes ) face each other , which eliminates the necessity of a separator for separating fuel from an oxidizer . that is , oxidizing gas flow paths for flowing an oxidizing gas containing oxygen flow are formed between the electrolyte / electrode joined members where positive electrodes face each other , and fuel gas flow paths for flowing a fuel gas containing hydrogen are formed between the electrolyte / electrode joined members where negative electrodes face each other . the spherical spacers as a principal feature of the present invention support each of the electrolyte / electrode joined members , and openings for flowing the gases therethrough are provided at the both ends of the stack in one direction . in fig2 as with fig1 for example , an uppermost electrolyte / electrode joined member 40 includes an oxidizer electrode 23 having a catalyst on the upper surface of an electrolyte membrane 21 and a fuel electrode 22 having a catalyst on the lower surface thereof . the electrolyte membrane 21 is composed of , for example , a polymeric material having a protonic conductivity , specifically , nafion ( trade name ; produced by dupont ). the oxidizer electrode 23 and the fuel electrode 22 are composed of , for example , carbon powder containing platinum microparticles . reference numeral 27 denotes a housing with through - holes . the uppermost electrolyte / electrode joined member 40 has spherical bead spacers 24 on the upper surface of the oxidizer electrode 23 and a fuel flow path 202 on the lower surface of the fuel electrode 22 . as the spherical bead spacers 24 , micropearl ( trade name ; produced by sekisui chemical co ., ltd .) having a particle diameter of 8 μm is used and uniformly sprayed on the electrolyte / electrode joined member 40 . outside the electrolyte / electrode joined members 40 located on the both ends in the stack direction , there are disposed oxygen / water permeable membranes , respectively . with the above arrangement , the oxidizer is supplied to the electrolyte / electrode joined members 40 and water generated therein is discharged therefrom . to supply the oxidizer to and to discharge water from the electrolyte / electrode joined members 40 located inside in the stack direction , oxidizer flow paths 203 , which are supported by spherical spacers 24 , are formed adjacent to the oxidizer electrodes 23 of the electrolyte / electrode joined members 40 , and an oxidizer flow path 203 , which is spatially connected to the oxidizer flow paths 203 , is located vertically on the left side of fig2 . as to the fuel , fuel flow paths 202 , which are supported by spherical spacers 24 , are formed adjacent to the fuel electrodes 22 of the electrolyte / electrode joined members 40 and connected to the fuel unit 29 - 2 . since the spacers are spherical , the contact area of the spacers with the electrolyte / electrode joined members is small , thus increasing the contact area of the oxidizing gas or the fuel gas with the electrolyte / electrode joined members . further , the electrolyte / electrode joined members are connected in series or parallel to each other so that a desired voltage and current can be obtained , by electrically connecting positive and negative electrodes through wiring ( not shown ). the fuel cell of the above - described structure can be produced as follows . first , a fuel electrode and an oxidizer electrode are formed on the opposite sides of an electrolyte membrane to form an electrolyte / electrode joined member . next , spherical spacers are interposed between the thus formed electrolyte / electrode joined members , and the electrolyte / electrode joined members are stacked , respectively . at that time , the electrolyte / electrode joined members are arranged such that the same kind of electrodes face each other . incidentally , since the fuel electrode and the oxidizer electrode have the same structure here , the direction of stack of each electrolyte / electrode joined member is not particularly limited . subsequently , gas supply flow paths to the thus stacked electrolyte / electrode joined members are disposed , respectively . oxidizer flow paths and fuel flow paths are fixed so as to supply respective gases . thereafter , the positive electrodes and negative electrodes of the electrolyte / electrode joined members are electrically connected in series and in parallel to each other through wiring ( not shown ). thus , the fuel cell shown in fig2 is formed . in the fuel cell , an oxidizing gas containing oxygen is supplied to the oxidizer electrode sides of the electrolyte / electrode joined members through the oxidizing gas flow paths , and a fuel gas containing hydrogen is supplied to the fuel electrode sides thereof through the fuel gas flow paths . thus , oxygen and hydrogen react with each other through the electrolyte membranes in the electrolyte / electrode joined members , thereby generating an electric power . since the electrolyte / electrode joined members are disposed such that the same kind of electrodes face each other , the oxidizing gas is supplied to adjacent electrolyte / electrode joined members through the same oxidizing gas flow path , or the fuel gas is supplied thereto through the same fuel gas flow path . further , since the electrolyte / electrode joined members are connected in series through wiring , a great electromotive force can be obtained . as described above , according to the fuel cell of the present example , since the electrolyte / electrode joined members are stacked such that the same kind of electrodes face each other , it is only necessary to alternately form either one of the oxidizing gas flow path and the fuel gas flow path between the electrolyte / electrode joined members , so that the distances between the electrolyte / electrode joined members can be reduced . as a result , the size in the stack direction of the fuel cell can be reduced . [ 0062 ] fig4 shows a schematic view of a digital camera using the fuel cell of the present invention . as described above with reference to fig1 a fuel cell 401 includes a cell unit having an electrolyte / electrode joined member and a fuel unit for storing a fuel , and holes formed in the surface of the fuel cell in fig4 are used to take in air therethrough . the fuel cell of the present invention is advantageous in that the output density is high ; the operating temperature is as low as 100 ° c . or less , whereby long - term durability is expectable ; it is suitable for miniaturization ; and the handling is easy , and can therefore be utilized for portable equipments such as mobile phones , cameras , video cameras , notebook personal computers , and the like or as a mobile power supply . accordingly , small electric equipments using the fuel cell of the present invention can be reduced in size / weight and can be used for a long period of time . that is , the fuel cell of the present invention can preferably be used in small portable electric equipments such as digital cameras , digital video cameras , small projectors , small printers , notebook personal computers , and the like . as described above , in the present invention , by using a plurality of spherical spacers , it is possible to reduce the contact area of the spacers with the electrolyte / electrode joined members , and when a gas is brought into contact with the positive or negative electrodes of the electrolyte / electrode joined members , the contact area of the joined members with the gas can be increased . further , since the oxidizing gas or the fuel gas can flow smoothly therethrough , the thickness of the stack of the electrolyte / electrode joined members can be reduced . further , when those spherical spacers that are employed in liquid crystal displays are used as such , those spherical members and production apparatuses thereof are easily available , so that production cost reduction can be realized . further , in the present invention , by using spherical spacers having more hydrophilic surfaces , it becomes possible to remove water generated at the oxidizer electrodes as a result of power generation from the surfaces of the electrolyte membranes . as a result , the oxidizer is smoothly supplied , whereby a good power generation efficiency can be maintained for a long period of time . further , according to the electrode stack structure of the present invention , since the electrolyte / electrode joined members are stacked such that the same kind of electrodes face each other , when , for example , a gas flow path is formed between the electrolyte / electrode joined members , the distance between the electrolyte / electrode joined members them can be reduced . as a result , the size of the stack of the electrolyte / electrode joined members can be reduced in the stack direction . further , since the electrolyte / electrode joined members are electrically connected in series by wiring , a great electromotive force can be obtained , and further when a gas is brought into contact with the positive or negative electrodes of the electrolyte / electrode joined members , the contact area of the gas with the joined members can be increased . accordingly , there can further be achieved an effect that the size of the stack of the electrolyte / electrode joined members can also be reduced in a direction perpendicular to the stack direction . further , there can be achieved an effect that small electric equipments using the fuel cell of the present invention can be reduced in size / weight and can be driven for a long period of time .
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cryptographic operations such as public key infrastructure ( pki ) related techniques are gaining wider acceptance , and some public key techniques ( such as , for example , rivest , shamir , adelmen ( rsa )) are in the public domain . these and related technologies can be used to provide a user or client with a one stop shopping subscription provisioning experience , thereby simplifying or streamlining the subscription registration process . for example , referring to fig1 and fig2 , a client or user accesses a web page of a content provider that provides a location - specific service to which the client wants to subscribe . for example , the client accesses the web page from a personal computer ( pc ) of the client . through the services of the web page , the client personalizes the service subscription by selecting parameters that satisfy preferences or rules of use of the client . for example , parameters are entered or selected indicating that the content provider may query a mobile phone service provider of the client for the location of the client every morning at 8 o &# 39 ; clock . of course , these suggested parameters are exemplary only . any other criteria might be used to place constraints on information made available to the content provider . when the client is satisfied that all the subscription defining parameters have been correctly selected or entered , the client submits the subscription request to the content provider for processing . for example , a server of the content provider processes this subscription and generates a page stating all the details ( including , among other things , the identity of the client , the mobile identification number ( min ) of a mobile device of the client , the constraints specified , subscription duration or end date , etc .). software running on the pc of the client then cryptographically signs the generated document with a private key of the client , and optionally encrypts the result with a public key of the mobile service provider &# 39 ; s request processing entity ( rpe ). the result of the encryption is a binary string . the binary string is made available to the content provider server as a “ service token ” that is bound to the identity of the client . alternatively , if the signed document is not encrypted , the signed document itself becomes the token . if a well - defined format is used for interactions between a client and a content provider server during a subscription session , signing and encryption processes can be carried out using an message digest 5 ( md 5 ) or a secure hash algorithm - 1 ( sha - 1 ) hash of the document that contains the information of interest . the subscription here binds the three parties , namely , the subscriber or client , the content provider application and the rpe together very closely , i . e ., the subscription cannot be reused by the content provider application to query user location from a different rpe so long as the rpe verifies the token . referring to fig1 and fig2 , a method 110 for subscribing to a service in a distributed architecture includes , for example , a client making a subscription request 114 , a content provider server generating a page including subscription information 118 , the client signing the information 122 , the client optionally encrypting the information 126 , for example , with a public key of a request processing entity ( rpe ), thereby generating a service token , and the client transmitting the service token to the content provider 130 . alternatively , the token is generated from the signed document without encryption 126 . the client making a subscription request 114 includes selecting or entering parameters describing the subscription . the selections or entries imply a grant of permission , when necessary , to access information about the client . for example , the selections or entries imply a grant of permission for a mobile communications service provider to honor requests for location information about the client from the content provider . the selections or entries may also place limits on that grant of permission . for example , the permission may grant access to information once a day , or during a particular time period each day , or only monday through friday or any combination of these restrictions or others . the granularity of the location information may also be restricted , for example , to give only the city or zip code in which the user is located rather than exact latitude and longitude coordinates . the content provider server generating 118 a page including subscription information can include , for example , the generation of a summary web page or email message . the web page or email message includes a statement of the selected or entered parameters . additionally , the web page or email may include an explicit statement of the permissions implied by the selections or entries . preferably , the information in the web page or email is in a format readily decoded and understood by the request processing entity . for example , a widely published format such as extensible markup language ( xml ) should be used in conjunction with , for instance , a well - defined document type definition ( dtd ). the client signing 122 the information includes , for example , the addition of a digital signature of the client to a copy of , for example , the web page or email . for example , in a public key encryption environment the copy of the web page or email may be encrypted with a private key of the client . if a receiving entity is able to decrypt the encrypted information using a published public key of the client , the receiving entity is assured that the client was the one that encrypted the information and therefore , in a sense , signed the document . as those of skill in the art will understand , the signature encryption referred to here is different than the additional and optional encryption 126 . the client optionally encrypting 126 the information or signed document with a public key of a request processing entity ( rpe ) is a security measure . encryption prevents unauthorized entities from viewing the contents to the document . only the request processing entity has access to the private key that is required to decrypt the information . the encryption creates a token of authorization . alternatively , a token is generated without encrypting the signed document . the client transmits 130 the token to the content provider to use as a kind of letter of introduction . for example , the first time the content provider attempts to make a delivery of the content called for in the subscription ( e . g ., weather information for the client &# 39 ; s location ), a server 214 of the content provider makes a request to an rpe 218 of the mobile communications service provider . for instance , the content provider requests the location of the client ( i . e ., the location of a mobile device of the client ). the request includes the transmission 134 of the token . if the token is encrypted , the rpe attempts to decrypt 138 the token . in either case , the rpe attempts to verify the client signature 142 . if the rpe is able to decrypt 138 an encrypted token ( for example , by using a private key of the rpe or mobile communications service provider ), the rpe is assured that the token was meant to be used in a transaction with the rpe ( and not for some other entity ) and that the associated document has not experienced tampering . if the token is encrypted to verify the signature 142 of the client , the rpe may , for example , attempt to decrypt the document using a public key of the client . if the rpe is able to decrypt the document using the public key of the client , the rpe is assured that the client “ signed ” the document and therefore authorized or validated the information in the document . the rpe then validates 146 the request by checking the request against the constraints described in the decrypted document . if the request falls within the constraints , the rpe 218 processes 150 the request . for example , the rpe 218 may update a database or directory 222 with the client subscription information . if the database 222 is updated , then subsequent requests can be verified via a database query or dip and typically will not require the decrypting of the token and signature verification . whether or not the rpe 218 updates a database , the rpe 218 processes the decrypted and validated request and generates a response . for example , the rpe 218 instructs components of a system 226 of the mobile communications service provider to retrieve 154 requested information , such as , for example , a current location of the mobile device of the client . when the mobile device is located the rpe 218 transmits 158 the location information of the client to the content provider 214 . when the content provider receives the requested information ( e . g ., location information ) the server of the content provider can then transmit 162 ( e . g ., push ) content ( e . g ., location - specific weather information ) to the mobile device 230 of the client . if the rpe 218 does not record 150 the subscription information , for example , by updating client records in the database or directory 222 , subsequent requests are handled in much the same way . if the rpe 218 does record information about the subscription and permissions associated therewith , sequential requests can be handled a bit more efficiently . for example , future location requests 234 are made without the token . instead , the request simply includes the mobile identification number min identifying the mobile device 230 of the client . the rpe 218 validates 238 the request by , for example , performing a database query or dip to compare the request against recorded permission or subscription constraints . if the request is valid , the rpe 218 processes the request and transmits 242 the requested information ( e . g ., client location ) to the content provider 214 and again the content provider server 214 transmits 162 the subscribed for content back to the mobile device 230 of the client . as an alternative or addition to the public key / private key technique describe above , the client may sign a one - way hash of the document , then use a “ digital envelope ” to securely transmit a symmetrically encrypted document and the hash to the content provider . when the content provider server makes a query for the target client or subscriber , the content provider simply forwards a copy of the client agreement ( if a hash were used above ), along with the service token . note again that the content provider server is incapable of decrypting the token . as an additional alternative , a technique similar in concept to that of “ dual signatures ” employed in set ( secure electronic transactions ) may be used if the client wishes to personalize the service on other parameters with which the rpe is not concerned while simultaneously constraining rpe location fixes in ways such that the content provider server does not need to be aware . however , this feature does incur significant overhead and is generally not required by typical clients . in electronic commerce architectures , this technique is used to enable a client to make an offer to a merchant , with payment instructions to his bank if the offer is accepted , while ensuring that the merchant does not see payment instructions , and the bank is unaware of the terms of the negotiated offer between the merchant and the client . the process , however , simultaneously ensures that the agreed - upon price is paid . while the above procedure works , it is not as computationally efficient as some other techniques . for example , some improvements may be obtained by using keyed hashes instead of public key cryptography . this is especially important if one wants mobile handsets to be able to handle crypto - related processing ( they might not have the processing capabilities to handle public - key signatures and encryption ). however , the subscriber is required to perform cryptographic operations only once per service ( at subscription time ), so if all subscriptions were handled over web interfaces by pcs , this may not be a significant issue . if keyed hashes were used , the rpe would need to have the key used by the end - user when the hash function is applied to the negotiated profile ( i . e . ; the subscription description page ). once the content provider obtains the signed token , it would be used in a manner similar to the above described transactions between the content provider server and the rpe . the content provider server also includes , with the request , the text that was included in the keyed hash so that the rpe may re - compute the hash with the key associated with the target subscriber . ( this may require that the rpe make a secure directory access to determine a given subscriber &# 39 ; s key as registered with the system ). this re - computed hash may then be used for verification . it should be noted that , in the embodiments described above , the client or target subscriber should be provided means to sign “ limited - time ” subscription tokens only because in these embodiments there is no easy way to guarantee that servers would pass on tokens that constrain their existing access further . for example , if high - granularity location ( say in terms of latitude and longitude ) were made available to the content provider , then at some point the client might find this level of tracking too invasive . the client might want to reduce the granularity or position information resolution , which the rpe provides the content provider . for example , instead of describing the client &# 39 ; s location within a square mile , the client may wish the rpe to only provide the content provider with the name of a nearest city . however , the above - described embodiments do not provide a means to easily revoke the high granularity permission previously granted . therefore , in cases where greater security is required , one may need to support “ authorization revocation lists ” similar in concept to certificate revocation lists ( crls ) in use today to enforce the revocation of authorization tokens . however , with carefully constraint specification , and by issuing limited time tokens , clients can ensure that the scheme is not abused even in the general case . however , when complex constraints are used , the constraints should be independently verifiable by the rpe . for example , if an rpe can not verify the age of stock data , then the constraints should not or cannot include a requirement that the rpe provide the content provider with stock data that is , for example , no more than 15 minutes old . referring to fig3 , an authentication , authorization and accounting ( aaa ) infrastructure 310 may be used to support the above operations . note that a network of aaa servers and brokers is likely to be in place to support network access control for roaming mobile nodes . it is anticipated that in such a system , all mobile nodes 314 will be configured with network access identifiers ( nais ) and secret keys . the nai is , for example , of the form — user @ example . com —. here — example . com — is referred to as the user &# 39 ; s realm , or home domain . when a mobile node 314 connects to a foreign agent 318 in a visited network , the mobile node 314 will send a registration request that contains the nai of the mobile node 314 and an authentication extension computed with the use of a secret or private key of the mobile node 314 . the realm portion is used to route the request back to a home aaa server 322 , which validates the authenticity of the request and returns the result . note that the request may travel through a network of brokers 326 before it reaches the home aaa server 322 . when the home aaa server 322 returns a successful authorization to the broker network 326 , it is in effect promising to pay for the services rendered to the mobile node 314 . also , when the foreign agent 318 subsequently sends accounting records through the network 310 , the foreign agent 318 will look to the broker 326 for final settlement of charges . the broker network 326 is , therefore , in the business of maintaining large numbers of pairwise business relationships with both home and visited carriers ; the broker network 326 serves as the nexus for billing and settlement . this infrastructure can also be used to facilitate third party service subscriptions similar to those described above . for example , referring to fig4 the mobile node or device 314 is registered with a content provider 414 using the same nai and credentials that it uses for network access . however , in this case , the registration is at the layer of session initiation protocol ( sip ) or hyper text transfer protocol ( http ) rather than the network layer . the content provider 414 can use the same broker network 326 to authenticate the user , and later to send accounting records for services delivered . this enables the content provider 414 to get paid and the user ( not shown , but associated with the mobile device 314 ) to be billed for these services ; the home network , which contains the home aaa server 322 , may be paid a percentage or portion of the transaction fees . at the algorithm level , the aaa infrastructure 310 could be used to distribute secret keys for use between the mobile node 314 and the content provider 414 as well as for use between the content provider 414 and the rpe 218 of the home mobile service provider . this would obviate the need for potentially expensive public key cryptographic operations throughout the network . however , even if public keys are used , the aaa infrastructure 310 could be used to distribute those keys or public key certificates for them . the invention has been described with reference to particular embodiments . modifications and alterations will occur to others upon reading and understanding the specification . it is intended that all such modifications and alterations are included insofar as they come within the scope of the appended claims or equivalents thereof .
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the present invention as discussed hereinbefore relates to a method and apparatus to improve a subject &# 39 ; s learning ability by utilizing a computer / kiosk system and reducing the social the element from the intervention . the method provides a plurality of content type in terms of training skill levels , subject or subject &# 39 ; s known individual &# 39 ; s avatar or picture , voice , topics of interest and / or content of the subject &# 39 ; s interest . this plurality differs from each other in the form of animated content , and in the amount of audio processing applied to the speech commands and / or information . the method also selects from the plurality of content type based on the needs and training skill level to be presented to the subject that is associated with , or corresponds to , the subject &# 39 ; s ability . the method is presented to the subject on a computer and interacts with the subject via input / output devices like camera , touch screen , id card , mouse , keyboard , joystick , fingerprint scanner , paper scanner , motion detector , or any body movement detecting device on the computer . the method utilizes the information from the input devices to calculate the needs of the subject and change the type , quality , method , color , audio and / or visual presentation delivered to the subject . the method further presents as a trial , an audio / visual commands / information from a set of animation and speech commands / information from the selected skill level . the speech command directs the subject to manipulate at least one of the pluralities of graphical components . if the subject correctly manipulates the graphical components , the method presents another trial . if the subject incorrectly manipulates the graphical components , the method presents another trial without giving any discouraging message . as the subject correctly manipulates the graphical components , new audio / visual command / information from the set of animation and speech command / information from the library gets delivered to the subject based on the skill and needs of the subject . and , as the subject incorrectly manipulates the graphical components , the complexity of the trial using audio / visual commands / information is decreased and the entertaining animated content increased . the method is also an attention span measuring tool . the tool measures the subject &# 39 ; s attention span utilizing a motion detector and reads an eye movement using a video camera . based on the historical attention span of the object , before the expiration of the attention span the method changes the content type delivered to the subject from educational content to the entertaining content of the subject &# 39 ; s interest . once the attention is gained , the method delivers new audio / visual command / information from the set of animation and speech command / information from the library to the subject . in another aspect , the present invention provides a method to improve the cognitive processing system of a subject . the method provides a plurality of stimulus sets , with each of the plurality of stimulus sets having a plurality of command / information sentences . the method also provides a plurality of target graphical images and animation , each of the animation associated with a different one of the plurality of command / information sentences . the method further provides a plurality of distracter images that are not associated with the plurality of command / information sentences . the method then presents to the subject one of the plurality of command / information sentences from one of the plurality of stimulus sets to the subject , the presented sentence modified acoustically , and presents to the subject a target graphical image , from the plurality of target graphical images , that is associated with the presented command / information sentence . along with the presented target graphical image the method presents a plurality of distracter images . the subject is then required to distinguish between the presented target graphical image , and the presented plurality of distracter images by selecting the target graphical image associated with the presented command / information sentence . upon successful completion of the one or multiple trials , the subject will be awarded by some object , toy , food , or item of interest . in yet another aspect , the present invention provides an adaptive method to improve a subject &# 39 ; s willingness to learn the offered topic . the method according to the present invention utilizes a computer to process and present animated content with sound to the subject . this method utilizes the world wide web network or the local area network to retrieve animated content from the content storage server . the method displays a plurality of animated images on the computer , the graphical images associated with information and / or some activities related to the topic of interest for the subject . the method associates in pairs the plurality of animated images with particular activity and / or events such that two different animated images are associated with a particular activity and / or event . upon the subject &# 39 ; s selection of any of the plurality of animated images , its associated activity and / or event is presented . the method then requires the user to discriminate between the presented activities and / or events by sequentially selecting two different graphical images from among the plurality of graphical images , that are associated with the particular activities and / or event . the audio command / information is modified by stretching them in the time domain by varying amounts to make easy to understand for the object . as the subject correctly remembers the activities and / or event at one skill level , the amount of stretching applied to the audio command / information is reduced . in addition , as the subject correctly remembers the activities and / or events , the number of animated image pairs presented to the subject increases , requiring the subject to better train his / her understanding on the activity . this 3d animated interactive individualized therapeutic learning technology for autistic students will effectively utilize realistic colorful 2d / 3d animation with individualized attractive audio effect for intervention . this technology driven approach utilizes various interventions and approaches to measure the effectiveness on different child with asd . the key technology used is an application delivering educational animation inside a touch screen kiosk system with camera / s that tracks eye and body movement of the student to achieve bidirectional activities . teachers set up the individualized training plan and can track the development progress and help the student to communicate better to develop independent daily living skills . this learning tool utilizes the artificial intelligence to help students with learning disabilities and may help improve their social behavior ( because the student is not dealing with individual where they have to make eye contact ). this technique utilizes the technology to provide consistent training for extended hours in the same environment . by using the repetitive activities with the student using the kiosk based system , teachers can collect the data of the behaviors and response from variety of content like different colors , animation , instructions , audio - music and special effects . in the general education field , the technology is widely utilized but in the area of autism the technology is underutilized . the model of a social learning pal not only teaches social skills but also helps the researchers collect data for further analytical purposes for the betterment of the students , the families and the teachers . this dual purpose technological solution is utilized in the following settings : schools providing education to students with asd research institutes doing research on autism hospitals and home for parents according to another aspect , the method is implemented in three phases comprising phase i , phase ii and phase iii . the key activity during phase i is collecting , populating and verifying subjects &# 39 ; profiles . all the master data for the institute providing this training to the subject is also populated during this phase . students &# 39 ; profile development process is done in three steps . a . personal info such as name , parent name , date of birth , picture etc . b . collect photographs of family members and individuals known to the subject for various activities c . contact info such as email id , telephone , mobile , residential address 2 . input students profile — the info gathered in step 1 is fed in the database . 3 . verifying profiles — the data fed in the database is verified by the authorities . a . name , contact , introduction , web address , e - mail addresses b . name and details of support , teaching staff 2 . input institute profile — the info gathered is fed in the database . in phase ii , the right activities for the students are selected based on their profile by experts . once the activities are selected , based on the available and collected profile customization of the activity is programmed and configured . selecting activity process analyzes the profile and selects the suitable activities for the subject . selected activity is assigned and programmed in the system to the student after reviewing the individual &# 39 ; s profile . a . capturing customization data — during this stage customized data like pictures of familiar people of the students for the activity —‘ identifying familiar people ’, are captured and finalized . b . compose and assign — the trainer administrator or teacher composes and customizes selected activities and assigns it to right student . phase iii is the final stage of the implementation where the subject carry out the activities assigned and programmed . their performance , progress and acceptance are tracked and analyzed . following steps are followed as part of the implementation : 1 . operational setup — this includes the installation and set up of required hardware / software . 3 . tracking — progress and performance of students is automatically tracked by the application . 5 . analysis and documentation — the information related to progress and performance of students will be analyzed and the results documented . similarly the feedback received is also be analyzed and the outcome of this analysis is documented . referring to fig1 is a system diagram comprising a computer system 100 for executing training for the brain development disorder in a subject , according to the present invention . the computer system 100 contains a computer having a cpu , memory ( not shown ), hard disk ( not shown ) and cd rom drive ( not shown ), attached to a touch screen monitor . the monitor provides visual prompting and feedback to the subject during execution of the computer program . also the monitor captures the response from the user using touch screen technology . attached to the computer are a keyboard , speakers , a mouse , and headphones . the speakers and the headphones provide auditory prompting and feedback to the subject during execution of the computer program . the touch screen is used to navigate through the computer program , and to select particular responses after visual or auditory prompting by the computer program . in some cases mouse is used for the above purpose . the keyboard allows an instructor to enter alpha numeric information about the subject into the computer . although a number of different computer platforms are applicable to the present invention , embodiments of the present invention execute on either ibm compatible computers or macintosh computers . the finger print scanner 800 validates the subject ( student ) 200 and based on the identity of the subject load the profile of user in the computer program . the camera 300 tracks the activities of the subject and records the video for further analysis . the motion detector 350 detects the motion of the subject . the printer 400 prints the printable rewards and the result of the subject &# 39 ; s progress . a printer 400 is shown connected to the computer 100 to illustrate that a subject can print out reports and rewards associated with the computer program of the present invention . vending machine 500 b delivers the physical object based reward to the subject based on the learning program in a computer program . lan / wan option i 600 connects the computer system to the data center 900 using wireless network and the lan / wan option ii 700 uses wired network . the computer network allows information such as animated content , test scores , game statistics , and other subject information to flow from and to the subject &# 39 ; s computer 100 , to a server in the data center 900 . data center 900 contains storage unit 1000 and artificial intelligent processing unit 1100 . the storage unit 1000 has two servers database server 1200 and media server 1300 . these servers are utilized to store the media used by the computer program . this media includes audio , video and text based media for training artificial intelligence unit 1100 has two servers , web server 1400 and application server 1500 . web server 1400 delivers training content to the subject using the internet or lan / wan network . the application server 1500 generates deliverable content for the web server using the animated audio and video media delivered by the storage unit . now referring to fig2 , is a method of training the subject 200 and the trainer administrator 220 are involved 3300 with various phases of the method . the profile development 3400 phase of the present invention is managed by the trainer administrator 220 . trainer administrator creates the profile of the subject in terms of their likings , disliking , nature , gender , age and family background . the phase ii of the proposed method is the activity appropriation analysis 3500 . this is done by the trainer administrator . based on the profile and subject &# 39 ; s knowledge proficiency on the topic , trainer administrator creates a lesson plan using the library of the offered activities . based on the lesson plan developed by the trainer administrator , the next phase would be to activity customization 3600 for the subject using the library of objects and audio visual components to develop customized activity . the activity assignment 3700 phase assigns the assignment activity to the subject for implementation . in this phase the subject is scheduled for training using the assigned activities in an activity module form . multiple activities are assigned in an activity module form to the subject for scheduled delivery on a daily basis . the trainer administrator reviews the information on a computer and can upload configuration and control information pertaining to a particular subject . the activity implementation 3800 phase is the actual execution of the planed activity under the supervision of the trainer administrator . in the activity implementation phase 3800 , subject uses the proposed software program on a daily basis for a planed fix time . based on the programmed profile and assigned assignment , the subject goes to the next level of complexity and type of the activity . once all the activity assigned are successfully completed based on the programmed parameters , the subject gets graduated for the assigned activity module . throughout the activity implementation 3800 phase , the trainer administrator manages and monitors the progress of the subject using the opposed computer program . this phase is the activity managing and monitoring phase 3900 . the result analysis 4000 and activity reassignment and adjustment 4100 get the subject to the final result 4200 . referring to fig3 is a system data flow diagram that illustrates the data flowing between the student subject and the proposed apparatus for training . student 200 sends the finger print information to the fingerprint scanner 800 . the finger print scanner 800 sends the captured data to the cpu . the cpu is connected to the data center 900 through internet 150 . using the internet connection cpu sends request to the web server 1400 in the data center 900 for the user validation . request from the web server 1400 send request to the application server 1500 which sends request to the database server 1200 for user validation . upon the successful validation of the user , the message gets delivered to the cpu . the delivered message from the cpu gets displayed on the touch screen monitor 380 . based on the configuration of the activity assigned to the subject , content gets delivered to the touch screen monitor 380 by the web server 1400 and the media server 1300 . camera 300 monitors the movement of the subject ( student ) 200 and the motion gets recorded in to the cpu which gets transferred and stored to the server 1300 . upon completion of the activity , cpu gets request from the application server 1500 to deliver the reward to the subject . based on the request received from the application server 1500 , the request to the printer 400 or object based reward system or object based reward system gets transferred for the reward delivery to the subject . referring to fig4 is a workflow diagram that illustrates the step by step work flow . step 1 is the authentication 110 using the login screen or using biometric technology . the date gets transmitted to web server 1400 and application server 1500 using the internet 150 . upon successful authentication of step 2 , the assigned activity with the assigned training and entertaining content 210 starts delivering to the subject . the subject &# 39 ; s ( student ) input using the input devices like touch screen , keyboard and mouse along with the movement of the subject using the camera is captured 310 and delivered to the web server 1400 and application server 1500 in the step 3 . in step 4 , based on the input 410 collected from the subject , the response , more content , report , result , animated customized content is delivered . home environment 610 and school environment 510 shows the same activity and activity modules are accessed from the different location using the different hardware device using internet 150 . if the subject is using the system from the home environment 610 where the object based reward system as illustrated in the fig3 is not available , the subject will have an ability to print the credit for reward using any printer connected or save the credit proof for the future claim with the trainer administrator for their reward . reference is then invited to fig5 - a that illustrates the prototype of a kiosk based apparatus . the kiosk system comprise of cpu , touch screen monitor , camera , fingerprint scanner , network interface card , printer and machine for the delivery of the physical object for the reward delivery mechanism . the kiosk system has an open slot in the front for the delivery of the reward . in the back of the apparatus there is a window for loading and unloading the physical object for the reward . referring to fig5 - b that illustrates the prototype of the kiosk system with delivery machine connected through the rs - 232 port . the kiosk system is connected through the rs - 232 port to the delivery machine with a reward delivery window . the reward delivery machine has object loading window in the back of the cabinet similar to the fig5 - a . for a large size user group , this type of the model is used where more objects like toys , candy , food or any tangible item based on the liking of the subject is stored and displayed . based on the likings of the subject ( student ), trainer administrator load these tangible items in the delivery machine , which is delivered to the subject upon meeting the performance criteria set by the trainer administrator . based on the settings set by the trainer administrator , the subject selects the desired item from the delivery machine as a reward . in some case , based on the trainer administrator &# 39 ; s set preferences the item is visible or not visible to the subject where trainer administrator wants to keep the reward surprise to the subject . the system of the present invention also uses the printer and delivery system connected to the network . based on the parameters set by the trainer administrator , the system prints the printable reward on the attached printer . reference is then made to fig6 that illustrates the flow diagram of an activity module management process . user swipe the figure on the finger print scanning device or id card or login using the login id and password using the graphical user interface delivered on a touch screen monitor . trainer administrator has created and saved users profile in the database for validation . upon successful validation the activity modules gets loaded on the users screen . first activity module gets loaded from the list of the activities modules assigned to the subject by the trainer administrator . first check is to see if there is a need of delivering training material related to the loaded activity module . if the training material is configured by the trainer administrator , the animated training material using the audio visual effect gets delivered . this training material is customized for the subject based on the profile and customized content programmed for the subject . after completion of the training module , the trial based activity from the activity list for the selected module gets delivered to the subject . after the delivery of the content , system waits for the response from the subject . while waiting , the system monitors the subject &# 39 ; s movement using the video motion detector . if the user has moved from his place and if this is the first activity in this session , system asks subject if there is an interest in reviewing the training material again . if the response is no or is there is no response from the user , system will deliver some entertaining content to the subject . at the end of the entertaining content , the next module gets loaded for the next delivery . if the user requests for the training material , the training material for the active activity module gets loaded . if this is not the first activity and motion gets detected after the delivery of the activity without any response , the new attention span gets registered . when the response to the activity is received and before going to the next activity , attention span gets checked . if the attention span of the subject is reached in this session , the entertaining content gets delivered to the subject and the session time gets reset for the delivery of the next activity . after delivery of the activity , if the subject is idle for over 30 seconds without any movement , the next activity in the module gets delivered . if there are 5 skips in the current session , the entertaining content gets delivered to grab the attention of the subject . when the last activity gets delivered to the user , the system loads the next activity module from the assigned modules . if all modules are delivered successfully , the system delivers visual , printed or object based reward to the object . upon successful completion of the activity module the system will sent notifications to all the individuals involved with the training including training administrators by email , text or instant messenger tool . system utilizes off - the - shelf instant messaging technology customized and integrated to this system for instant notification of rewards . reference is then made to fig7 that illustrates the flow diagram of activity management and skill level management process for the activity module . after the successful login to the system , the first activity module from the assigned modules gets loaded . the default first skill level for the current activity module is used to deliver the first activity from the activity module . if the answer is incorrect , the incorrect count gets incremented by one till it reaches to the maximum incorrect allowed for the current activity module . once it reaches the maximum allowed incorrect answers for the current module , system changes the skill level to one skill level down for the module . the incorrect activity gets added for the next round of the activity for the same skill level . if the answer is correct , the correct count for this activity gets incremented till it reaches to the passing count for this activity . when it reaches to the passing count , the activity gets removed from the current activity module for the current level . if this is the last activity for this round , next activity round gets loaded . after end of the each activity round , the activity round score is checked against the no training needed count . if the activity round score is greater than no training needed count , the training content delivery is skipped . after end of the each activity , if continue is not selected by the subject , after 1 minute entertaining customized animation is delivered to get the attention of the subject . when the activity round is finished with all activities successfully removed from the current skill level and maximum passing skill level is reached , the reward is delivered to the subject . reference is then made to fig8 that illustrates the method of customization of sound for lower level skill . the instructional and informative educational audio gets stored in the database in pieces like touch 2100 , the 2200 and ball 2300 . for level iii the voice will be the natural voice which will have each word separated by 0 . 06 seconds . the blank 2150 indicates default separation of 0 . 06 seconds between two words . for the lower level complexity of level ii and level i , additional blank 2500 and blank 2700 are inserted to make the information easy to understand for the subject . these additional blank ( 2500 and 2700 ) are of 0 . 1 seconds . fig8 illustrates level iii and level ii examples . fig8 illustrates , by utilizing this method the original time span for the “ touch the ball ” will get extended from the 1 . 10 seconds to 1 . 40 seconds . reference is then made to fig9 that illustrates pictorial presentation of some of the sample activities . listed screens show activities of label objects , label me , help me , distance training , follow me , put me , give me , touch and show , follow sound and tag me . referring to fig1 that illustrates the utilization of the system and how the same subject uses the same activity modules from different locations by utilizing different hardware . the subject 200 uses the same database server 1200 and media server 1300 to get the training from different locations and populate the data in a centralized place in a data center 900 . fig1 illustrates a sample activity “ touch and show ” title screen . based on the subject &# 39 ; s skill level when the activity gets loaded , the first screen shows the activity title screen . for the level i , activity and the training is automatically loaded in full screen and subject would not have to click on the options shown in the fig1 . for the level ii and level iii users the ‘ title screen ’ as shown in the fig1 will be displayed . the subject has to click or touch on the ‘ play ’ button to start the activity . fig1 illustrates teaching instructions on training to the subject for the topic of training for a sample activity “ touch and show ”. before the activity begins , the animated training is provided to the subject using the audio visual presentation of the topic of training fig1 illustrates teaching instructions examples ; screen 1 illustrates how different parts of the face are shown to the subject . the audio instructions are delivered in the screen 1 to the subject along with the visual instructions using text . screen 2 illustrates how the body part is highlighted and audio instruction “ look at the head ” is delivered to the subject . screen 3 illustrates the nose highlighted with arrow , the audio “ look at the nose ” and visual instructions delivered to the subject . screen 4 , screen 5 and screen 6 illustrates other body parts for training fig1 illustrates activity training instructions on how to carry on the activity using the computer and touch screen monitor for a sample activity “ touch and show ”. screen 7 illustrates where the directions are displayed with audio “ look for the direction here ” with text based instruction . screen 8 , 9 , 10 and 11 illustrates instructions on how to respond to the activity . these instructions are delivered using visual and audio presentation to the object using text on the screen . fig1 - b illustrates activity training instructions screens on how to carry on the activity using the computer and touch screen monitor for a sample activity “ touch and show ”. these instructions are delivered to the subject using different model of visual presentation with audio delivered in an animated video form where the example of the actual user is visually shown playing and following instructions and responding to the activity . in this method of the training , the example shows the child playing the activity and following instructions . fig1 illustrates the sample activity “ touch and show ”. screen 1 illustrate the questions asked to the subject and screen 2 shows how the correct answer is recognized by encouraging animation with audio visual effect . screen 3 illustrates how the incorrect answer is ignored and the next activity is delivered without any negative response from the training . in the example , the instruction to carry out the first activity — touch the head — is shown at the bottom . as shown in fig1 when the subject responds correctly —( a ) an animation cheering the player is played and ( b ) the score points are incremented by a preset value . if the student is unable to finish the activity successfully then an audio message is played . the procedure to carry out the second or remaining number of activities stays same as that of the first activity . fig1 portrays procedure to carry out the second activity — touch the nose . the instructions for remaining activities in this example are — touch the eye , touch the ear , touch the mouth . reference is then invited to fig1 that illustrates example of attempts taken by the subject to complete the sample activity “ touch and show ”. a student successfully completes an activity , if — 1 ) all activities in the module are mastered or 2 ) the completion criteria are met . an activity is mastered if the criteria as set by the instructor are satisfied . in the example , there are 5 numbers of activities . each activity is mastered upon 3 times correct responses provided by the subject . table 1 illustrates few sample cases . each column from the second column onwards illustrates an attempt . first column contain the number of activity . the attempts and activities in a row form a case . the outcome in each case is shown in the last column . if there are 3 consecutive correct responses to an activity , it is removed from the assigned activity list on subsequent attempts . table 1 illustrates sample cases where assigned activities are five and the number correct response expected from the subject for each activity is three . after three successful correct answers the activity gets removed from the activity module . as can be seen from the first row of the table since there are 3 consecutive correct responses to activity 1 , this activity is removed from 4 th attempt onwards . same is the case with activity 5 . the outcome for all the cases is put in the outcome column . reference is then invited to fig1 that illustrates how the score is tracked for the successful completion of the assigned module to the subject . in all , there would be as many attempts as required to master all the 5 assigned activities . an average in percentage of these attempts is recorded . this is the activity average score . the completion criteria include three factors — factor 1 : number of mastered attempts to be tracked , factor 2 : passing activity average in percentage , factor 3 : qualifying completion average in percentage . the example assumes the value for factor 1 is 3 and that for factor 2 is 50 and factor 3 is 80 . referring to fig1 illustrates the reward screen at the end of the activity module . the score points or rewards achieved are presented displayed in a graphical form . fig4 show ‘ reward screens ’ under various situations . the accompanying animation explains the rewards obtained for each successful activity . in this example , the subject gets one pizza slice for each correct response . since the activities 2 , 4 and 5 are successfully completed , the cumulative count is 3 . the replay button starts the activity all over again . the training button replays the training part once again . fig1 - a illustrates an example of how the activity gets customized by the trainer administrator based on the student &# 39 ; s likings each activity module can be customized to suit an individual &# 39 ; s preferences and needs . for example if the subject has an affinity for sports tennis , the background can be set to that of a tennis court . fig1 illustrates different backgrounds with different object for the same activity . once the student has mastered the activity in the existing set up , the set up can be changed by the trainer administrator . this method is utilized to assess student &# 39 ; s performance in diverse environment . for example , the model character in this activity module can be —( a ) the preset picture of a character , ( b ) subject themselves or ( c ) one of subject &# 39 ; s favorite person . fig1 - b illustrates an example of an activity where the image in the activity is replaced by the system with the image or photo of the computer generated character or actual picture of the person based on the subject &# 39 ; s likings . reference is then invited to fig1 and fig2 that illustrates the step by step actions performed by the subject to complete the assigned activity on the kiosk based touch screen system . step 1 illustrates the subject sitting in front of the kiosk system . step 2 illustrates the subject validating the access to the system using finger print scanning device . step 3 shows the introductory entertaining animated content with audio is delivered to the subject . step 4 to step 14 illustrates the training material delivered to the subject using the visual and audio presentation of the content . step 15 to 17 illustrates the actual activity attended by the subject and step 18 illustrates the animated result score presented to the subject . the embodiments of the invention and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained more fully with reference to the non - limiting embodiments that are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and detailed in the following description . it should be noted that the features illustrated in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale . descriptions of well - known components and processing techniques are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments of the invention . the examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the embodiments of the invention may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments of the invention . accordingly , the examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments of the invention . it is thus possible by way of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus to improve a subject &# 39 ; s learning ability by utilizing a computer / kiosk system and reducing the social the element from the intervention . the method provides consistency in the environment at different locations of home , school , hospital , or any place where the computer or kiosk system is installed and delivers repeated educational material customized or personalized for the subject .
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the following examples are illustrative of the invention only and are not intended to imply any limitation or restriction thereof . example 1 describes the test method used to evaluate acids which may be used to form the amine salts before polymerization . the other examples describe the production of polyamine adducts and the performance of such adducts as wet strength additives when applied to cellulosic substrates . the fundamental discovery underlying this invention is that halide ions react much more rapidly with epihalohydrin than do anions derived from other strong acids . this example describes a method by which the various anions can be compared under readily reproducible conditions . it is based on the fact that the reaction between the epihalohydrin and the anion releases hydroxyl ions which therefore raise the ph of the reaction mixture . the extent to which the ph rises is therefore an indication of the extent of the reaction ; the rapidity with which the ph rises is indicative of the rate of the forward reaction . saturated solutions in deionized water at 25 ° c . of the sodium salts of each of the anions to be evaluated were prepared and 20 ml . of each solution were added to separate vials and 0 . 067 gram of ar epichlorohydrin was added to each . each vial was capped and shaken vigorously . the ph of each was taken at the indicated time intervals . the results are set forth in table 1 . table 1______________________________________ ph at indicated timesalt solution 0 sec . 10 sec . 10 min . 18 hrs . ______________________________________sodium chloride 6 . 41 9 . 05 -- 9 . 33sodium sulfate 6 . 35 6 . 37 6 . 58 7 . 71______________________________________ the very rapid increase in ph shown by the sodium chloride solution / epichlorohydrin mixture is indicative of the extent of the interference of this reaction with the polyamine / epihalohydrin reaction in the process of the prior art . conversely , the non - halide salts show a very much slower byproduct reaction . this example describes the production of a wet - strength resin by the process of the invention . a flask was fitted with an addition funnel , a thermometer , a stirrer and a nitrogen inlet tube . the flask was charged with 222 . 4 grams ( 2 . 0 moles ) of flash - distilled n - methyldiallylamine and 200 ml . of deionized water . to the flask were added 204 . 1 grams of 50 % by weight aqueous solution of 96 % sulfuric acid . the addition was done at 10 °- 15 ° c . after all the acid had been added 14 . 3 grams of deionized water were added along with 1 - 2 drops of 96 % sulfuric acid to adjust the ph to 3 . 5 . the flask and contents were then nitrogen purged to remove air . to this amine salt solution were added 10 . 0 grams of 50 % aqueous ammonium persulfate solution and while blanketing with nitrogen throughout , the temperature was raised to 50 ° c . the reaction became strongly exothermic and for a brief period , after about 90 minutes , the temperature rose to 90 ° c . before being controlled and reduced to 60 ° c . where it remained for the rest of the polymerization . after two hours , the solution had become very viscous and orange in color . a further 4 . 00 grams of the 50 % ammonium persulfate solution were added to finish off the reaction . after six hours of stirring under a nitrogen blanket the reaction was shut down and a viscous organic resin solution remained . analysis of this solution showed that a conversion ( monomer to polymer ) of 96 . 8 % had been achieved . a charge of 43 . 3 grams ( 0 . 10 monomer unit equivalent ) of the poly ( n - methyldiallylamine ) sulphate salt prepared above was placed in a flask and 65 . 4 grams of water and 4 . 50 grams of 10 % aqueous sodium hydroxide were added to raise the ph to 8 . 42 . the temperature of the mixture was 10 ° c . the dropwise addition of 9 . 25 grams ( 0 . 10 mole ) of epichlorohydrin to the stirred polyamine was begun . the stirred reaction mixture was initially maintained at 10 ° c . for 15 minutes after which the temperature was allowed to rise to 50 ° c . during the reaction at 50 ° c . until the time the reaction was killed , the mixture became more viscous and the ph slowly dropped . a total of 20 equiv . % of 10 % sodium hydroxide was added incrementally to maintain the reaction ph above 7 . after 200 minutes the reaction was killed by addition of 0 . 80 gram of 96 % sulphuric acid with stirring and cooling . the resulting polymer adduct had a gardner viscosity of e - and a ph at 25 ° c . of 2 . 31 . two further polymeric adducts according to the invention were prepared by essentially the same process as is set forth above in example 2 . for purposes of comparison a polymeric adduct was prepared according to the prior art , i . e ., using the hydrochloride salt of the amine produced by an otherwise similar method . the results obtained are set forth in table ii below . table ii__________________________________________________________________________summary of examples 2 - 4 epihalohydrin polymeric adduct polymer adduct ratio added ph at % gardner resin epi % example identification e / a . sup . ( 1 ) naoh . sup . ( 2 ) 25 ° c . solids viscosity yield conv . dcp . sup . ( 3 ) note__________________________________________________________________________2 poly ( n - methyldi - allylamine . 1 . 0 0 . 31 2 . 31 16 . 43 e . sup .- 97 . 9 % 96 . 4 % 1 . 25 a h . sub . 2 so . sub . 4 salt )/ epi3 poly ( n - methyldi - allylamine . 0 . 8 0 . 26 2 . 33 16 . 76 e 99 . 5 % 97 . 6 % 0 . 96 a h . sub . 2 so . sub . 4 salt )/ epi4 poly ( n - methyldi - allylamine / 1 . 0 0 . 26 2 . 85 20 . 43 n 99 . 2 % 95 . 8 % 1 . 48 b diallylamine h . sub . 2 so . sub . 4 salt )/ epi . sup . ( 4 ) comparative poly ( n - methyldi - diallylamine . 0 . 8 0 . 26 2 . 0 15 . 45 e / e . sup .+ 91 . 4 % 91 . 2 % 3 . 07 c hcl salt )- epi__________________________________________________________________________ . sup . ( 1 ) ratio of equivalents of epihalohydrin to amine monomer unit equivalents . . sup . ( 2 ) equivalents per monomer unit equivalent of amine . . sup . ( 3 ) weight percent of dichloropropanol in the final reaction mixture adjusted to 25 % by weight of total solids . . sup . ( 4 ) nmethyldiallylamine / diallylamine are in a 1 : 1 molar ratio . a polyamine obtained in 96 . 8 % conversion from monomer after 6 hours . ( 56 . 4 % in 1 . 0 hour ). b polyamine obtained in 97 . 8 % conversion from monomers after 6 hours . c polyamine obtained in only 84 . 8 % conversion from monomer after 72 hours polyamine therefore contained 15 . 2 % of unconverted monomer . the data given in table ii clearly show that the process of the invention gives much better results by comparison with the prior art process in that : 1 . the formation of the polymer proceeds much more quickly and reaches a higher monomer to polymer conversion level ; 2 . the efficiency with which the epichlorohydrin is incorporated into the polymeric adduct is greater ; and 3 . the amount of dichloropropanol by - product obtained is more than halved . this example shows the cured and uncured wet tensile strengths obtained when the polymeric adducts of examples 2 to 4 are applied to a cellulosic substrate in the manner described in example 6 and compares them with the values obtained using the comparative adduct described in table ii . table iii______________________________________cured and uncuredwet tensile strengths in g / cm . uncured cured application level application level kg / metric ton kg / metric tonexample 2 . 5 5 . 0 7 . 5 2 . 5 5 . 0 7 . 5______________________________________2 430 593 697 523 664 7733 371 532 629 447 593 6704 307 416 557 379 500 602compara - 384 500 609 447 561 682tive______________________________________ this table shows that the effect of changing the salt carries through to the wet - strengths obtained . this efficiency difference is perhaps attributable at least in part to the presence of the larger proportion of unreacted monomer in the polyamine adduct prepared using the polyamine chloride salt . note that example 4 was prepared using an amine copolymer and therefore , is not strictly comparable with the other data reported in this table . this example sets forth a comparison of wet strength resins in which the amine prepolymer is produced ( a ) in the form of the chloride salt ( the prior art ); and ( b ) in the form of the nitrate salt ( the invention ). a reaction vessel was charged with 222 . 4 g ( 2 . 0 moles ) of flash - distilled n - methyldiallylamine , 200 g of deionized water and 219 . 4 g of 36 % concentrated hydrochloric acid . this produced a solution with a ph of 3 . 5 and an amine hydrochloride salt concentration of 45 . 0 % by weight . the addition was preformed at 10 °- 15 ° c . with the hydrochloric acid being added dropwise with good stirring and cooling to maintain the temperature in the above range . the two phase reaction mixture cleared rapidly as the ph dropped below about 6 to 7 . a nitrogen purge was introduced and the system was left overnight at 0 °- 22 ° c . to the above reaction mixture was added , in one charge , 5 . 00 g of ammonium persulfate (&# 34 ; aps &# 34 ;) solids in the form of 11 . 5 g of a 45 % aqueous solution . the nitrogen purge was continued while the reaction vessel was heated to 50 ° c ., with continued stirring , over a period of 30 minutes . at about 45 ° c . the reaction became exothermic and air jet cooling was initiated to maintain the temperature at about 50 ° c . at 0 . 75 hr . an increase in viscosity was noted and at 2 . 5 hrs . the exotherm subsided and gentle heating was initiated to maintain the reaction temperature . the reaction was continued under nitrogen , with stirring , at 50 ° c . for a further 21 / 2 days after which a solution containing 44 . 85 % total solids , ( 44 . 10 % in terms of monomer - derived solids ), having a ph of 1 . 52 and a gardner viscosity of e / e + was obtained . the process is summarized in table iv . a reaction vessel was charged with 33 . 37 g ( 0 . 10 amine monomer unit equivalents ) of the amine prepolymer solution prepared above . the total solids charged ( theory ) was 14 . 966 g . in addition 4 . 50 g . ( 0 . 01125 equivalent ) of a 10 % aqueous sodium hydroxide solution and 67 . 86 g . of water were charged into the vessel . the resultant ph was 8 . 35 the reaction commenced at 10 ° c . when 7 . 40 g . ( 0 . 08 mole ) of epichlorohydrin was added over a 1 minute period with stirring . over the next hour the temperature rose to 50 ° c ., the solution first became turbid and then cleared and the ph dropped to below 7 . 80 . at intervals during the reaction dropwise additions of 2 . 0 g . amounts of 10 % aqueous sodium hydroxide were made to maintain the ph above 7 . after a little more than three hours the gardner viscosity had risen to f / g and the reaction was killed , ( i . e . short - stopped ) by addition of 0 . 50 g . of 96 % sulphuric acid with continued stirring and cooling . the properties of the final solution are set forth in detail in table v below . a reaction vessel was charged with 111 . 18 g . ( 1 . 00 mole ) of n - methyldiallylamine , 90 . 0 g . ( 1 . 00 equivalent of hydrogen ion ) of 70 % ar nitric acid and 147 . 18 g . of deionized water . the initial ph at 25 ° c . was 4 . 55 . this amine salt solution was then polymerized using a solution of 2 . 25 g . of ar ammonium persulfate in 2 . 25 g . of deionized water at a temperature of 60 ° c . the formation of the amine salt and the polymerization technique followed substantially the same procedures as were outlined in the corresponding description of the preparation of resin a with the difference that the polymerization reaction was complete after 10 hours . the process is summarized in table iv . the gardner viscosity of the prepolymer after adjustment to 45 % total solids by addition of water was e / e + and the ph at 25 ° c . was 1 . 34 . a reaction vessel was charged with 39 . 21 g . ( 0 . 100 amine monomer unit equivalent ) of the amine prepolymer salt produced as described above . to the same vessel were added 75 . 6 g . of deionized water and 4 . 50 g . ( 0 . 01125 equivalent ) of 10 % aqueous sodium hydroxide solution . this solution then was clear and had a ph of 8 . 37 . the reaction was begun by addition of 7 . 40 g . ( 0 . 08 mole ) of epichlorohydrin over a 1 minute period to the above reaction mixture at 10 ° c . the reaction was continued in the manner described above in relation to the preparation of polymer a . the properties of the final polymer b are set forth in table v below . table iv______________________________________poly ( amine salt ) syntheses polymer salt prepared poly ( n - methyldi - poly ( n - methyldi - allylamine allylamine hcl salt ) hno . sub . 3 salt ) ______________________________________reaction parameters andconditions employed . sup . ( 1 ) amine salt charged moles 2 . 00 1 . 00 ( nh . sub . 4 ). sub . 2 s . sub . 2 o . sub . 8 g / amine salt , 5 . 00 2 . 25molestemp . c .°/ time , hrs . 50 ° c ./ 72 hrs . 60 ° c ./ 10 hrs . run conc . % 45 % 50 % m / p conversion , % . sup . ( 2 ) 84 . 8 % 93 . 1 % aqueous poly ( amine salt ) solution propertiessolution conc . % 44 . 85 % 45 . 10 % gardner viscosity e / e . sup .+ e / e . sup .+ solution ph 1 . 52 1 . 34monomer unit equiv . wt ., gms . . sup . ( 3 ) 333 . 65 g . 392 . 07 g . ______________________________________ . sup . ( 1 ) stirred 4necked round bottomed flask , n . sub . 2 blanketed throughout . . sup . ( 2 ) determined gravimetrically , via double precipitation of resin from a . r . acetone . . sup . ( 3 ) grams aqueous resin solution obtained divided by amine salt mole ( equivalents ) charged . table v______________________________________epichlorohydrinations of poly ( amine salts ) polymer salt employed poly ( n - methyldi - poly ( n - methyldi - allylamine allylamine hcl salt ) hno . sub . 3 salt ) ( polymer a ) ( polymer b ) ______________________________________reaction parameters andconditions employednaoh , eq . % ( 1 ) 22 . 5 25 . 0ph range at ° c . 8 . 35 - 7 . 11 8 . 37 - 6 . 31e / a ( 2 ) 0 . 80 0 . 80conc ., % 20 % 20 % temp . c ° ( 3 ) 10 ° c .→ 10 ° c .→ 50 ° c . 50 ° c .` kill ` viscositygardner ( 4 ) f / g hreaction time . hrs . 3 : 05 3 : 30resin ( epi adduct ) solution propertiesresin yield % ( 5 ) 91 . 0 % 101 . 3 % conc ., % 15 . 39 % 17 . 34 % gardner viscosity ( 4 ) d . sup .+ / e . sup .- e . sup .+ / f . sup .- solution ph 2 . 00 2 . 07 % dcp at t . s . found ( 6 ) 2 . 04 % 0 . 72 % epi conv ., % ( 7 ) 61 . 9 % 89 . 3 % ______________________________________ ( 1 ) an initial addition of 11 . 25 equivalent % of 10 % naoh raised the solution ph from 1 . 5 to 8 . 3 - 8 . 4 ; thereafter , incremental addition was maintained as needed to build solution viscosity . ( 2 ) moles epi / amine monomer unit equivalent charged . ( 3 ) initial 10 ° c . temp . ; gradual rise to viscosity building temp . to 50 ° c . ( 4 ) at room temperature . ( 5 ) ( determined solids / theoretical solids ) × 100 . ( 6 ) via g . l . c . analysis resin solution . ( 7 ) based on determination of dcp ( dichloropropanol ). epi conversion (%) = 100 -? ## str4 ## ## str5 ## a pulp of 50 / 50 bleached softwood and hardwood kraft with canadian standard freeness of about 450 and a ph of 7 . 0 was treated with the appropriate amount of resin and the treated pulp was made into a 8 inch square handsheet . the press consistency was 36 . 1 % and the paper sheet was dried at 95 ° c . to a moisture level of 4 . 1 % using a drum rotation speed of 2 minutes per revolution . to measured aliquot samples of the above pulp slurry were added , with stirring , measured amounts of the appropriate resin . prior to addition to the pulp slurry the polymers were activated by the addition , over several seconds , of 7 . 0 meq . of 25 % aqueous sodium hydroxide per gram of resin solids ; the resin concentration was pre - adjusted to 3 . 0 % solids with deionized water . the activated mixture was stirred throughout the naoh addition and then for 1 . 0 minute at room temperature before being finally diluted to 1 . 2 % concentration by addition of more deionized water . the wet tensile strengths of polymers a and b are compared in table vi . the cured samples had been subjected to heating at 90 ° c . for 15 minutes . the uncured samples were tested straight from the paper - production operation . both were wetted before testing on an instron tensile tester . table vi______________________________________wet strength of papers testedpolymers a and bat different addition levels addition uncured tensile cured tensile level in strength in strength in kg / metric g / cm ( average g / cm ( averagepolymer ton of 4 ) of 4 ) ______________________________________a ( prior art ) 2 . 5 329 482 5 . 0 443 666 7 . 5 518 747b ( invention ) 2 . 5 411 639 5 . 0 529 830 7 . 5 647 1023______________________________________ from this it can be seen that the wet tensile strength of the polymer b produced using the nitrate salt is very much more effective than that produced using the chloride salt . moreover , comparison of the results in tables iv and v shows that it is produced very much more efficiently with fewer by - products . the above examples are for illustration only and are not intended to imply any limitation of the invention . it will be appreciated that many minor variations and additions might be made without changing the essential nature of the invention . it is intended that all such variations and additions shall be embraced within the purview of this invention .
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referring now to the drawings , fig1 - 5 describe the toilet device of the present invention in which the toilet device is made of resistant plastic material , basically formed of three elements that , once integrated , form a single unit : a grid ( 1 ), one or more trays ( 2 ) and an upright structure ( 3 ). the grid ( 1 ) is described as follows : grid ( 1 ) is engaged over tray ( 2 ) that is located on the floor . grid ( 1 ) has several orifices ( 4 ) through which the dog &# 39 ; s urine will drain , being deposited on tray ( 2 ). on the side of grid ( 1 ), there is a picker ( 5 ), being characterized in that a “ half - moon ”- shaped orifice facilitates the manual removal of grid ( 1 ) when engaged in tray ( 2 ). grid ( 1 ) further has cuts ( 6 ) throughout its side structure , said cuts being used to allow drainage of the urine falling over the side of grid ( 1 ) on the side of tray ( 2 ) towards its center . the tray ( 2 ) is described as follows : tray ( 2 ) is a concave part having cavities . the cavities are arranged in two directions : from the base to the surface [ base - surface ] ( 7 ) and from the surface to the base [ surface - base ] ( 8 ). in other words cavities ( 7 ) are arranged in a first direction where the open end of the cavities faces upward toward the place where the grid ( 1 ) is to be located and the bottom end is closed . the other set of cavities ( 8 ) faces in a second direction ( opposite the first direction ) with the opening being located downward and the top portion being closed and facing upward toward where the grid ( 1 ) will be placed . the tray cavities allow the connection of two or more trays . this connection , obtained by engaging the cavities of different trays , increases the area the toilet occupies . the connection among the trays ( 2 ) will occur when the base - surface cavity ( 7 ) of a tray is engaged in the surface - base cavity ( 8 ) of another tray . this connection of two or more trays may be used for large dogs or simply when a larger toilet is desired . an important aspect to be considered is the side closure ( 9 ) found in the base - surface cavity ( 7 ). this closure prevents the urine that occasionally drains on this portion of the tray from falling on the floor . thus , the urine fall on the base - surface cavity ( 7 ) and drains to the tray by means of slots ( 10 ) in tray ( 2 ). further regarding tray ( 2 ), the . openings ( 11 ) found in the surface - base cavity ( 8 ) must be emphasized . these openings allow the engagement of two trays , since they are required to allow the side closures ( 9 ) of the base - surface cavities ( 7 ) to pass . internally , in one of the sides , the tray has reinforcements ( 12 ) that impart increased strength to the assembly when connecting two trays . the upright structure ( 3 ) is another element of the toilet device of the present invention . the upright structure ( 3 ) is a part engaged in the back of two engaged trays . this structure ( 3 ) is also made of plastic material having an embossed hydrant drawing ( 13 ) in its central portion . the upright structure is to be used by male dogs so that they have a structural reference when lifting their hind limb to urinate . like this , the dog urinates towards the wall . the urine tends to hit the structure , draining to the base ( 14 ) of the same . said base ( 14 ) is protruded at a specific tilting that will direct the urine into tray ( 2 ). it is understood that the upright structure ( 3 ) is an optional feature of the present invention for used by male dogs .
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the present invention is generally applicable to components that operate within environments characterized by relatively high temperatures , and are therefore subjected to severe thermal stresses and thermal cycling . notable examples of such components include the high and low pressure turbine nozzles and blades , shrouds , combustor liners and augmentor hardware of gas turbine engines . an example of a high pressure turbine blade 10 is shown in fig1 . the blade 10 generally includes an airfoil 12 against which hot combustion gases are directed during operation of the gas turbine engine , and whose surface is therefore subjected to severe attack by oxidation , corrosion and erosion . the airfoil 12 is anchored to a turbine disk ( not shown ) with a dovetail 14 formed on a root section 16 of the blade 10 . cooling holes 18 are present in the airfoil 12 through which bleed air is forced to transfer heat from the blade 10 . while the advantages of this invention will be described with reference to the high pressure turbine blade 10 shown in fig1 , the teachings of this invention are generally applicable to any component on which a tbc system may be used to protect the component from its environment . represented in fig2 is a thermal barrier coating ( tbc ) system 20 that includes an overlay bond coat 24 and a thermal - insulating ceramic layer , or tbc , on a superalloy substrate 22 that is typically the base material of the blade 10 in fig1 . suitable materials for the substrate 22 ( and therefore the blade 10 ) include equiaxed , directionally - solidified and single - crystal nickel and cobalt - base superalloys . the bond coat 24 adheres the ceramic layer 26 to the substrate 22 through the growth of an alumina scale 28 when the bond coat 24 is exposed to an oxidizing atmosphere , such as during high temperature exposures in air and deposition of the ceramic layer 26 . as shown , the ceramic layer 26 has a strain - tolerant grain structure of columnar grains 30 achieved by depositing the ceramic layer 26 using physical vapor deposition techniques known in the art , such as ebpvd . a preferred material for the ceramic layer 26 is an yttria - stabilized zirconia ( ysz ), a preferred composition being about 4 to about 8 weight percent yttria , though other ceramic materials could be used , such as yttria , nonstabilized zirconia , or zirconia stabilized by magnesia , ceria , scandia or other oxides . the ceramic layer 26 is deposited to a thickness that is sufficient to provide the required thermal protection for the underlying substrate 22 and blade 10 , generally on the order of about 75 to about 300 micrometers . as an overlay coating , little interdiffusion occurs between the bond coat 24 and the substrate 22 during deposition as well as any subsequent heat treatments ( if employed ). according to a preferred aspect of the invention , the bond coat 24 is formulated in accordance with commonly assigned u . s . pat . no . 6 , 153 , 313 to rigney et al , and u . s . pat . no . 6 , 291 , 084 to darolia et al ., and therefore contains beta - phase nial intermetallic , zirconium and optionally chromium or another element disclosed in rigney et al . or darolia et al . for example , the bond coat 24 may contain , in atomic percent , about 30 % to about 60 % aluminum , about 0 . 1 % to about 1 . 2 % zirconium , optionally up to about 15 % chromium , the balance essentially nickel . a thickness of about 50 micrometers is suitable for the bond coat 24 to protect the underlying substrate 22 and provide an adequate supply of aluminum for oxide formation , though thicknesses of about 10 to about 125 micrometers are believed to be acceptable . the bond coat 24 is represented in fig2 as having been deposited and processed in accordance with this invention so that any precipitates 40 within the bond coat 24 are located primarily within the grains 32 of the bond coat 24 , but largely absent from the grain boundaries 34 that intersect the surface 36 of the bond coat 24 . in contrast , fig3 represents the overlay bond coat 24 as it would appear if deposited and processed in accordance with conventional practice , e . g ,, in an as - deposited condition without any additional treatment provided by the present invention . the type of microstructure represented in fig3 is typical of nial overlay coatings deposited by pvd , such as ebpvd . in fig3 , the bond coat 24 is characterized by grains 42 that extend through the bond coat 24 , from the surface 36 of the bond coat 24 to the surface 38 of the substrate 22 , such that the grains 42 are generally columnar with a larger aspect ratio than the grains 32 depicted in fig2 . as also represented , the grains 42 have grain boundaries 44 that intersect the surface 36 of the bond coat 24 . the grain boundaries 44 that are open to the bond coat surface 36 are shown as being decorated with precipitates 40 formed during deposition of the bond coat 24 as would result from the presence of zirconium or another alloying constituent within the nial material . as discussed below , the microstructure depicted in fig2 is more resistant to oxidation than the microstructure depicted in fig3 , with the result that a tbc ( the ceramic layer 26 in fig2 ) deposited on the bond coat 24 of fig2 is more resistant to spallation . during an investigation leading to this invention , a study of tbc spallation mechanisms on nial bond overlay coats alloyed with zirconium ( nial ( zr )) indicated that spallation typically initiated by either delamination of the oxide scale ( e . g ., scale 28 in fig2 ) from the bond coat or by delamination of the tbc ( e . g ., ceramic layer 26 in fig2 ) from the oxide scale . notably , rumpling of the oxide scale , as occurs in diffusion aluminide bond coats , was not observed . this difference was theorized as being the result of improved creep resistance or yield strength of the nial ( zr ) material , and / or the differences in the coating grain structure resulting from the different processing methods used to form overlay and diffusion coatings . while various properties of coating , including microhardness , strength and plasticity , are known to be effected by microstructure , it is believed that the influence that microstructure might have on oxidation , which leads to tbc spallation , has not . the effect of grain structure was investigated , initially by altering the temperature at which nial ( zr ) overlay bond coats were deposited by ebpvd . in the investigation , forty - one superalloy specimens were coated with a tbc system of the type shown in fig2 . the superalloys was ren é n5 with a nominal composition in weight percent of ni - 7 . 5co - 7 . 0cr - 6 . 5ta - 6 . 2al - 5 . 0w - 3 . 0re - 1 . 5mo - 0 . 15hf - 0 . 05c - 0 . 004b - 0 . 01y . the bond coats were nial overlay coatings containing , by weight , about 22 % aluminum , about 4 to about 7 % chromium , and about 1 % zirconium , the balance nickel and incidental impurities . the bond coats were deposited by ebpvd at deposition ( substrate ) temperatures of either about 500 ° c . or about 1000 ° c . and above . the ceramic topcoats were zirconia stabilized by about 7 weight percent yttria ( 7 % ysz ), and all were deposited by ebpvd . the specimens were furnace cycle tested ( fct ) at 2125 ° f . ( about 1160 ° c .) at one - hour cycles within an oxidizing atmosphere , until tbc spallation occurred . significant scatter in cycles to spallation was observed for the specimens , ranging from less than fifty cycles to about 1100 cycles . the spalled specimens were examined using scanning electron microscopy ( sem ) to determine their coating microstructures . a number of microstructural features were quantified , including grain morphology . it was observed that columnar grains ( similar to that represented in fig3 ) were typically present in coatings deposited at substrate temperatures of about 500 ° c ., while equiaxed microstructures ( similar to that represented in fig2 ) were present in specimens whose deposition temperatures were about 1000 ° c . and above . the equiaxed specimens had a smaller average aspect ratio and exhibited little texture , indicating that the nial ( zr ) overlay coatings had undergone recrystallization during deposition . specimens with equiaxed grain structures were consistently found to exhibit significantly better resistance to spallation ( above 600 cycles to spallation ) than specimens with columnar grain structures . in addition to grain morphology , a low state of residual stress in the grains was also associated with improved resistance to spallation . average intragrain misorientation ( amis ) levels were measured by orientation imaging microscopy ( oim ) using a scanning electron microscope ( sem ) and evaluating backscattered electron patterns over a number of test points covering several grains . low residual stress , or strain , levels , corresponding to measured amis of less than about 0 . 7 degrees , were typically found for the fully recrystallized overlay coatings that were associated with significantly improved spallation resistance . in view of the above results , an additional number of specimens were prepared essentially identically to the original specimens , but with all of the nial ( zr ) overlay bond coats being deposited at a temperature in the range of about 900 ° c . to about 1000 ° c ., yielding recrystallized equiaxed grain structures . the specimens were evaluated using the same fct conditions as before , with the result that the additional specimens were again consistently found to exhibit significantly better resistance to spallation than the original specimens as a whole , averaging about 560 cycles to spallation as compared to an average of about 81 cycles for specimens in the previous investigation . examination of the specimens evidenced that they exhibited significantly better oxidation resistance than coatings deposited at lower temperatures . from the above results , it was theorized that deposition ( substrate ) temperatures on the order of about 900 ° c . and higher , particularly 1000 ° c . and higher , cause bulk recrystallization during coating deposition , yielding an equiaxed nial overlay coating that is more resistant to oxidation than an as - deposited nial overlay coating having columnar grains . further examination of specimens having columnar and equiaxed microstructures showed that a large number of zirconium - rich precipitates decorated the grain boundaries of the columnar nial ( zr ) coatings ( deposited below about 870 ° c . ), as represented in fig3 . fig4 is a pre - fct scanned image of a specimen having a columnar microstructure , with zr - rich particles being clearly evident in the grain boundaries ( referred to as leaders ) open to the coating surface . in contrast , zirconium - rich precipitates within the equiaxed nial ( zr ) coatings ( e . g ., deposited at about 1000 ° c . and higher ) were located primarily within the grains and not the grain boundaries , particularly the leader boundaries open to the coating surface , as represented in fig2 . for the columnar coatings , it appeared the zr - rich precipitates in the leader boundaries were very detrimental to the oxidation resistance of the coatings , presumably because of accelerated oxidation at the leader boundaries . increased oxide growth rates corresponded to depletion of aluminum and zirconium in the surrounding matrix , resulting in the formation of spinel - type oxides and other oxides that are not adherent to the bond coat . a specimen processed in accordance with the above to have an nial overlay with a columnar microstructure ( as a result of being deposited at a temperature of about 870 ° c . ), was exposed to an oxidizing atmosphere for about one hundred - twenty hours at a temperature of about 2150 ° f . ( about 1180 ° c .). upon examination , it was determined that oxidation had occurred via the leader boundaries , allowing for accelerated oxidation through the coating thickness fig5 is a scanned image of a specimen processed in accordance with the above to have an nial overlay with a columnar microstructure as a result of being deposited at a temperature of about 870 ° c ., and after exposure to an oxidizing atmosphere for about one hundred - twenty hours at a temperature of about 2150 ° f . ( about 1180 ° c .). from fig5 , it can be seen that oxidation occurred via the leader boundaries , allowing for accelerated oxidation through the coating thickness . from the above , it was concluded that the oxidation resistance of an nial overlay bond coat , and therefore the spallation resistance of a tbc deposited on the bond coat , could be achieved by eliminating grain boundaries ( leaders ) that are open to the coating surface and by eliminating decorated with zr - rich precipitates . the investigations into the effects of deposition temperature indicated that this object could be at least partially accomplished through the use of deposition temperatures above 1000 ° c ., possibly as low as about 900 ° c ., but preferably above 1050 ° c ., at which recrystallization of nial coatings occurs during deposition by pvd processes . the upper limit for deposition temperatures required to produce the desired equiaxed microstructure is generally limited by superalloy gamma - prime solutioning and melting temperatures , necessitating tight control of the process temperature . it was theorized that similar improvements in oxidation resistance of nial overlay coatings might also be achieved with coatings deposited at lower substrate temperatures , but then caused to recrystallize by suitable post - deposition processing . for example , recrystallization can be induced by a surface mechanical treatment that introduces cold working into the bond coat , so that at least the surface if not the entire overlay coating undergoes recrystallization when sufficiently heated to drive the recrystallization process . for this purpose , sufficiently intense peening is believed to be necessary , followed by a heat treatment at a temperature of about 1000 ° c ., such as about 980 ° c . to about 1020 ° c . for a duration of about 0 . 5 to about 4 hours in an inert or otherwise low - oxygen atmosphere . recrystallization is expected to be dependent on peening intensity ( cold working ), such that a sufficient peening intensity would be critical to achieving improved oxidation resistance by way of recrystallization . for this reason , shot peening with full surface coverage and an intensity of at least 6a is believed to be necessary to produce an nial overlay coating having equiaxed grains . notably , previous uses of peening to densify overlay coatings and close leader boundaries would not result in the recrystallization effect sought by the present invention . while shot peening is a particularly suitable cold and warm working technique because it can be readily controlled and characterized in terms of stresses distribution , it is foreseeable that other cold working techniques could be used . an additional benefit to producing equiaxed microstructures through post - deposition processing is the potential to reduce the quantity of zr - rich precipitates within the coating . specifically , it is believed that a post - deposition heat treatment at temperatures of about 980 ° c . or more in a low - oxygen atmosphere ( less than 10 − 3 torr ) should result in the dissolution of at least some of the zr - rich precipitates , thereby further reducing the likelihood that such precipitates will be present at the leader boundaries . it is further believed that the remaining precipitates 40 will be reduced in size during the heat treating step . while the invention has been described in terms of a preferred embodiment , it is apparent that other forms could be adopted by one skilled in the art . therefore , the scope of the invention is to be limited only by the following claims .
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in the following description , reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof , and which is shown , by way of illustration , an embodiment of the present invention . it is understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention . [ 0034 ] fig1 is a laser system block diagram . the present invention is directed to the calibration of an sgdbr laser controller 100 ( hereinafter referred to as a “ controller ”). the controller 100 monitors a multi - section , widely tunable sgdbr laser &# 39 ; s 102 ( hereinafter referred to as a “ laser ”) gain section voltage 104 , temperature 106 , and wavelength locker 108 signals . the wavelength locker signal 108 is produced from an external reference 110 ( a wavelength locker , alternatively referred to as an “ fp etalon ”). the laser 102 generally has a first or front mirror section ( sometimes referred to herein as “ fm ”), a second or back mirror section ( sometimes referred to herein as “ bm ”), a gain section for light generation ( sometimes referred to herein as “ gn ”), and a phase section provided to tune the output wavelength of the laser ( sometimes referred to herein as “ ph ”) each controlled with current inputs 112 . additionally , other sections may be incorporated onto the laser diode including , but not limited to a semiconductor optical amplifier , a modulator , or some other well - known component that may be fabricated on the same substrate as the laser . as shown in fig1 the controller 100 adjusts each section &# 39 ; s current ( with inputs 102 ) and the laser &# 39 ; s temperature to maintain a fixed optical output 114 power and wavelength . the laser &# 39 ; s temperature is adjusted with a thermoelectric cooler 116 ( or “ tec ”), or some other well known cooling mechanism or method . the laser 102 is controlled to generate optical output 114 at a substantially continuous power - level . the controller 100 interfaces to a host ( not shown ) over a system interface 118 , which is typically a serial or parallel interface . the host commands the operation of the controller 100 and may be a personal computer , workstation , or some other well - known device capable of sending commands to the controller 100 through the system interface 118 . the controller 100 regulates the laser &# 39 ; s optical output 114 power and wavelength . the controller 100 operates in one of the following control modes , each of which shall be described in more detail hereinbelow : b . power and wavelength control using open loop control &# 39 ; s fixed operating points as the initial operating points and regulating the optical power and wavelength to a reference , c . gain voltage control using open loop control &# 39 ; s fixed operating points as the initial operating points and regulating the laser mirror alignment with the cavity mode , and d . power , wavelength , and gain voltage control using open loop control &# 39 ; s fixed operating points as the initial operating points . as shown in fig2 in an open loop control mode , the controller 100 sets the laser optical output 114 power and wavelength by setting the laser section ( bm , ph , gn , fm and soa ) currents 112 from values in a look up table . it regulates the laser &# 39 ; s temperature to a fixed value by sending control code to the tec 116 . the look - up table values are generated by a calibration routine . the values are fixed over the lifetime of the laser 100 . the choice of the operating currents 112 , the current sources , and the temperature regulator guarantees maximum stability of the optical output 114 wavelength and power over the laser operating lifetime and ambient environmental conditions . in some embodiments of the invention , the controller can be implemented with “ open loop ” controller hardware as described above , however feedback is provided ( e . g . to control the mirror alignment ). thus , the controller operates in a closed loop with respect one or more of the laser control parameters ( e . g ., mirrors , gain , or phase ). control loops for power and / or wavelength control can also be applied . in addition , temperature regulation also can be operated under a closed loop control . as such , there is often no clear distinction between open and closed loop operation of the controller . the laser operating points are typically determined by one of three calibration routines , incremental , mirror reflectivity peak , or a two - dimensional mirror scan . incremental calibration steps and locks the laser to each international telecommunications union ( itu ) wavelength channel using a calibrated wavelength locker as a reference . it steps to the next channel by adjusting the phase current and locking the mirrors to the cavity mode with gain voltage control , which shall be discussed in further detail hereinbelow . once at the channel , the laser wavelength is locked to the channel by adjusting the phase current using wavelength control and the laser power to a predetermined set point by adjusting the gain current with power control . the process of incremental calibration starts with the first and second mirrors aligned at mirror reflectivity peak 0 and then steps to locate the next lower channel . at each cavity mode , the phase current is reset to its initial value and the search is continued . at the end of each mirror tuning range , the mirror currents are reset to the next mirror reflectivity peak . once the wavelength wraps around , the process is repeated at mirror reflectivity peak 0 by searching for the next upper channel . the process is as follows : mirror reflectivity peak calibration determines the mirror reflectivity peaks , generates the mirror tuning efficiency curves , and uses the curves to set the mirror currents for each channel . the process is as follows : locate the gain voltage minima , which is the corresponding mirror reflectivity peak ; and a two - dimensional mirror scan calibration of the present invention ( as may be employed for a small form factor tla ) determines the laser currents for operation at each itu channel and the power and wavelength and mirror control surfaces and operating points at each itu channel the calibration procedure for the small form factor tla and laser involves the following steps : a . conduct two - dimensional mirror current scan with power leveling and wavelength locking as shown in fig3 the controller 100 includes current sources 300 which drive each of the laser &# 39 ; s phase , mirror , amplifier , and gain sections . the current sources 300 are comprised of a voltage reference 302 , individual 16 - bit digital - to - analog converters 304 ( dacs ), and voltage - to - current ( vi ) converter 306 . the dacs 304 connect to a digital signal processor ( dsp ) synchronous serial port ( ssp ) 308 through a programmable - logic device 310 ( pld ). the pld 310 provides a logic interface between the dsp ssp 308 and the dacs 300 . each vi converter 306 translates the corresponding dac 304 voltage output to a proportional current that drives a corresponding laser section . as depicted in fig4 a modified howland current source ( mhcs ) can be used as the voltage - to - current converter 306 . a current mirror 400 , such as that shown in fig5 is preferably added to the output stage of the amplifier 402 to increase the drive current beyond that of the amplifier 402 alone . a filter stage 404 was added at the load 406 to reduce noise . the current mirror 400 inverts the output of the amplifier 402 , which requires the source , v in , at the inverting node of the amplifier 402 . the current mirror 400 operates at a fixed gain that is determined , primarily , by the ratio of the resistors 500 in the emitter leads of the transistor 502 . a resistor - capacitor ( rc ) compensation network 504 is added to insure stability of the amplifier 402 and current mirror 400 . the gain of the current is variable up to a maximum ratio . the maximum ratio is determined by the additional drift introduced by heating of the transistor 502 and sense resistor 506 and the maximum thermal loss that can be sustained by the transistor 502 and sense resistor 506 . if additional gain is required , an additional q mo & amp ; r mo section can be added to the mirror 400 . as shown in fig6 the power and wavelength controller 100 uses open loop control and feedback 600 from an external wavelength locker 602 ( fp etalon ) reference to lock the laser optical output power and wavelength to the reference . power and wavelength control compensates for drift in the controller current sources 300 and the laser 102 operating points over time and temperature . the power and wavelength controls may operate independently or interdependently . the least complex control algorithm is where the controls operate independently . each control algorithm induces changes in one current or temperature independent of the other . the control algorithms are classical proportional , integral control routines . for example , the following algorithm can be applied : in most cases , gain current is used on four - section devices , and amplifier current is used on five - section devices . current to the semiconductor optical amplifier ( soa ) instead of current to the gain section can be used in all cases concerning power control or power leveling when an amplifier section is present on the laser chip . gain voltage control ( see section 7 ) may be used in either case . however , when gain voltage control is combined with gain current - based power control , power control must be interrupted ( i . e . gain current held constant ) during acquisition of a gain voltage control surface . the independent control algorithm is slower and in its response to changes in the optical power output and optical wavelength . the mirrors and cavity mode become misaligned as the control algorithm adjusts the gain and phase currents from their predefined values . the quality of the optical output may be reduced as a result of decreased side mode suppression ratio . additionally , the probability of a mode hop ( wavelength shift ) is increased as the mirrors and cavity mode become misaligned . the interdependent control algorithm induces primary changes in one current or temperature and corrects for secondary changes in the other currents with an adaptive filter or estimator . this compensates for wavelength shifts or power changes and mirror misalignment induced when the control adjusts its primary variable . using an interdependent power and wavelength control algorithm as follows : wavelength is stabilized by adjusting the phase current ( i ph ) by an adaptive filter ; and wavelength is adjusted by the phase current ( i ph ) or the carrier temperature power is stabilized by adjusting the gain current ( i gn ) by an adaptive filter ; and the interdependent controls provide more robust , stable , and faster convergence of the power and wavelength to its reference value . gain voltage control uses feedback from the laser gain section voltage to keep the mirrors aligned with the cavity mode . it aligns the mirrors by minimizing the laser gain section voltage . the laser gain section voltage minimum is where the cavity loss is a minimum , roughly corresponding to maximum optical power output , wavelength stability , and side mode suppression ratio . more specifically , the gain voltage minimum corresponds to the minimum loss condition when parasitic electrical effects are accounted for , but gain spectrum effects offset the minimum from mode center in a characteristic fashion . additional output power may be achieved using certain techniques , such as by misaligning the front mirror , however , in such a case , other characteristics may suffer , such as the side mode suppression ratio . gain voltage control can be implemented in the dsp using a numerical minima search or a least mean squares ( lms ) quadratic estimator . alternately , gain voltage control can be implemented in analog circuitry using a phase locker circuit ( pl ). a digital signal processor ( alternatively referred to as a “ dsp ”) may be used to implement the gain voltage control , as shown in fig7 . the dsp dithers the laser mirror currents 700 , 702 and monitors the laser gain section voltage 704 . it uses a numerical algorithm to align the mirrors by locating the minima of the laser gain section voltage . use three data points ( mirror current , gain voltage ) and estimate the slope of the gain voltage curve with respect to the mirror current , step toward the gain voltage minima and calculate the next data point , use the new data point and the two best points to re - estimate the slope of the gain voltage curve , continue the above step process , continually searching for the gain voltage minima . the minima search algorithm may be susceptible to wandering around the gain voltage minima due to noise in the sampled gain voltage signal . the wandering is reflected as drift and noise on the optical signal . the lms estimator reduces the wander and noise by using an array of data points to estimate the gain voltage surface , in effect , filtering the noise . the lms estimator converges to the gain voltage minima faster and smoother than the minima search . for fixed phase and gain section currents , the gain section voltage can be modeled using a causal volterra series expansion over 2 input signals , the front mirror and back mirror currents . for dithering signals in the sub - 100 khz regime , the analog circuitry and the device itself allow a memoryless model , so a 5 - tap adaptive quadratic filter model will suffice . the lms estimator can then be achieved using either of two classic adaptive filter update algorithms : a standard gradient descent adaptation ( lms or block lms algorithm ) or a recursive least squares adaptation ( rls algorithm — based on newton &# 39 ; s method ). the rls algorithm approach is used to achieve faster convergence of adaptive linear filters when the signals driving the system do not have sufficient spectral flatness to allow a rapid gradient descent however , in the case of adaptive linear filters , the gradient descent approach converges just as fast as the rls approach when white noise can be used to drive the system . recently published results indicate that comparable rates of convergence can be achieved with adaptive quadratic filters if a minor filter structure modification is used and ( pseudo ) gaussian white noise can be used to drive the system . there are two advantages of this lms estimator approach . first , an initial tapvector can be stored along with the four drive currents in the laser calibration table in flash memory ( resulting in much faster convergence ). second , the adaptation step size can be reduced as the system converges , reducing steady - state misadjustment in the mirror section currents . because of the aforementioned gain spectrum effects , the optimum setpoints for the mirror currents are actually offset from the gain voltage minimum . therefore , the objective is not to converge to the minimum , but to use an lms estimator to sense where the minimum would be based on the measured gain voltage surface in the vicinity of the operating point . the control system adjusts the mirror currents to operate at a calibrated current offset from the estimate of the minimum . an exemplary lms estimator can use five independent data points to determine the surface . the lms algorithm : dithers the mirror currents in a linearly independent fashion about the operating point where , collects the gain and phase current at the mirror current when the power and wavelength are within control tolerance ; runs the lms estimator over the data set ( at least five independent points ); resets the mirror operating point to the distance from the inflection points on the surface . the lms algorithm continually operates in the background and the five - parameter fit to the quadratic control surface is : r · ( f + s 2 r ) 2 + n · ( b + m 2 n ) 2 + c - s 2 4 · r - m 2 4 · n simplify → r · f 2 + s · f + n · b 2 + m · b + c the parameters r and n define the surface curvature for the front and back mirror currents respectively . the parameters s and m define the offset of the surface extremum . the parameter c defines the offset of the surface . the independent variables f and b are the front mirror current and the back mirror current the result maps the quadratic surface of the gain current or phase current . the extremums are at : f = - s 2 r b = - m 2 n ( r s n m c ) = ( sffff sfff sffbb sffb sff sfff sff sfbb sfb sf sffbb sfbb sbbbb sbbb sbb sffb sfb sbbb sbb sb sff sf sbb sb n ) - 1 · ( szff szf szbb szb sz ) where s denotes a summation over the data points of the terms multiplied together and z is the current of the surface . the distance is the df and db from the extremums . the above technique is preferably used with the gain voltage surface . furthermore , since in the wavelength - locked case there is a significant cross term ( f * b ) in the gain voltage surface , a much simpler fit can be performed independently on the front and back mirror dither using three fitting parameters , and the resulting extremum is calculated . the digital algorithms implemented in the dsp are limited in speed and accuracy by the analog to digital converter ( adc ) and digital to analog converter ( dac ) as well as the signal to noise ratio ( snr ) of the circuit . an analog gain voltage control is set out in fig8 . the analog phase locker &# 39 ; s speed and accuracy is limited substantially only by the snr of the circuit . the analog phase locker ( pl ) is a high speed , analog - locking loop . it can be realized by a phase lock loop ( ppl ) or rf dither locker . the pl works with the open loop control circuit . the output of the pl adds to the output of the open loop control current sources . for example , the gain voltage 800 can be applied to separate pl circuits 802 a , 802 b of the controller 100 . as shown in fig9 an exemplary pl 802 uses a high frequency narrowband stimulus 900 to dither the mirror current the pl 802 measures the gain voltage ( v g ) 902 with a tuned , narrowband amplifier 904 and extracts the phase difference between stimulus and measured signal with a phase comparator 906 . the pl 802 also drives an error amplifier that adjusts the mirror current to the gain voltage minima and is sampled by an adc 908 . the pl error amplifier output is measured by the dsp . the dsp adjusts the mirror current values in the open loop control lookup table to reduce the error to zero . the dsp effectively operates as an integrator function . [ 0144 ] fig1 illustrates the combined operation of analog gain voltage control circuits to correct the outputs to the two mirrors from the open loop digital controller . the digital memory / dsp 1000 can set a first approximation current and voltage from a lookup table . the analog correction circuits 802 a , 802 b can provide feedback and correction signals to the device as described previously , and the digital controller then monitors the correction signals 1002 , 1004 and readjusts the currents and voltages to have the feedback currents from the analog correction portions approach zero . this allows for correction of the laser controller over the life of the sgdbr laser , and accounts for changes in operating temperatures and conditions as well as changes in the operation of the sgdbr laser internal components . gain and phase current control , such as that shown in fig1 , uses the extremum point ( the maximum or minimum value of a function ) of the gain voltage surface ( as proxy for the gain and phase current surfaces ) to keep the mirrors aligned with the cavity mode . it aligns the mirrors by operating the mirror currents at a substantially fixed distance from the control surface extremums . the distance and extremums are determined during calibration . the mirror operating point corresponds to best - cost function that maximizes the optical power output , wavelength and power stability , and side mode suppression ratio . gain and phase current control operates in conjunction with power and wavelength control . gain and phase current control can be implemented in the dsp using a least mean squares ( lms ) quadratic surface estimator , such as that previously described . the dsp dithers the laser mirror currents while operating under power and wavelength control and records the gain and phase currents when the control loops are within tolerance . it can estimate a fit to the gain voltage surface as a function of the front and back mirror currents . alternately , it can estimate a five - parameter fit to the quadratic control surface for the gain current and the phase current as a function of the front and back mirror currents . it sets the mirror currents at a distance from the surface extremums . the power , wavelength , and gain voltage controller 100 operates the power and wavelength control and gain voltage control simultaneously . the foregoing description of the preferred embodiment of the invention has been presented for the purposes of illustration and description . it is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed . many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching . it is not intended that the scope of the invention be limited by this detailed description . this concludes the description of the preferred embodiment of the present invention . the foregoing description of the embodiments of the invention has been presented for the purposes of illustration and description . it is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed . many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching . it is intended that the scope of the invention be limited not by this detailed description , but rather by the claims appended hereto .
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reference will now be made in detail to the following exemplary embodiments , which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings , wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout . the exemplary embodiments may be embodied in various forms without being limited to the exemplary embodiments set forth herein . descriptions of well - known parts are omitted for clarity . referring now to fig1 , there is a perspective view of the lintel lift apparatus 100 according to an exemplary embodiment . the lintel lift apparatus according to the exemplary embodiment may include a lintel lift that can be utilized for repairing old lintels or installing new garage or doorway lintels . the lintel lift apparatus 100 according to the exemplary embodiment may include a pair of support columns 110 and a cambered angle iron lintel 120 that spans between the pair of support columns 110 . the pair of vertical support columns 110 may either anchor the apparatus to the floor with foot plates or may be fastened to the existing frame . referring now to fig2 , there is a perspective view of the horizontal lintel and adjustment mechanism according to an exemplary embodiment . the rolled angle iron lintel 120 may have a substantially shaped “ l ” shaped cross section comprising a vertical flange 221 and a horizontal flange 223 arranged at approximately a 90 degree angle . the angle iron lintel 120 may be rolled or arched convexly giving it a camber , such that the end portions of the vertical flange 221 are lower than the center portion of the vertical flange 221 . similarly , the end portions of the horizontal flange 223 are lower than the center portion of the horizontal flange 223 . with further reference to fig2 , the exemplary embodiment may also include a cover , which may include a horizontal cover 224 , and a vertical cover 225 . in practice , the angle iron lintel 120 is affixed to an existing lintel 222 . as shown in fig2 , the existing lintel 222 is shown with a center cutout portion so as to not obscure the horizontal flange 223 , however the existing lintel 222 is typically one continuous horizontal structure . to repair the existing lintel 222 , the angle iron lintel 120 is disposed such that a center portion of the horizontal flange 223 comes into contact with , or is disposed as close as possible to , a center portion of the existing lintel 222 . when configured in this manner , there may be a gap between the end portions of the horizontal flange 223 and the respective end portions of the existing lintel 222 , as shown in fig2 . disposed at either end of the horizontal flange 223 , lift bolts 330 may be coupled and locked with the aforementioned horizontal flange 223 . the lift bolts 330 are raised so as to engage the end portions of the horizontal flange 223 . the lift bolts 330 raise the end portions of the horizontal flange 223 so that the end portions of the horizontal flange 223 come into contact with the end portions of the existing lintel 222 , thereby raising and supporting the end portions of the existing lintel 222 . during this process , the horizontal flange 223 may become substantially horizontal such that the end portions of the horizontal flange 223 may not be lower than the center portion of the horizontal flange 223 . likewise , the end portions of the vertical flange 221 may also be raised so that the end portions of the vertical flange 221 may not be lower than the center portion of the vertical flange 221 . fig5 shows a cross sectional view of the lifting bolt 330 according to an exemplary embodiment . referring now to fig3 , there is an illustrated cross sectional view of the lintel lift apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment . each lift bolt 330 may pass through an aperture 331 in the horizontal flange 223 and continue through a lift nut 332 , situated beneath the horizontal flange . now referring to fig4 , there is a cad cross sectional view of the lifting bolt 330 and lintel lift apparatus 100 according to an exemplary embodiment . the lifting nut 330 may terminate in the vertical support column 110 . rotating the nut 332 raises or lowers the lifting bolt 330 , thereby causing the horizontal flange 223 to raise or lower . in operation , the lintel lift apparatus may be used post - construction to retrofit an existing lintel and mason bricks or may be used in the initial construction and installation of mason bricks . during a retrofit , the rolled angle iron lintel 120 may face outwardly and the masonry may be disposed between the vertical flange 221 and the exterior of the existing wall . the pair of vertical support columns 110 may be fastened to the existing doorway frame . the horizontal flange 223 may rest atop the pair of vertical support columns 110 . lift bolts 330 may be disposed at either end of the horizontal flange 223 , and may be coupled and locked with the aforementioned horizontal flange 223 . each lift bolt 330 may pass through apertures 331 in the horizontal flange and continue through a lift nut 332 , situated beneath the horizontal flange 223 , and terminate in the vertical support column 110 . rotating the nut 332 raises the lifting bolt 330 , thereby causing the horizontal flange 223 to raise and engage the sagging existing lintel 222 and mason bricks located above the existing lintel 222 . once the lintel system is in place , the sagging existing lintel 222 and bricks located above it are stabilized against future settlement . during the initial construction and installation , the rolled angle iron lintel 120 may be installed with the lintel facing inwardly . the vertical support columns 110 may be erected and the lift bolts 330 may be installed . next , cables may be installed that link the lift bolts 330 , disposed atop the vertical support column 110 , with turnbuckles , which may be temporarily attached to eyebolts disposed at the bottom of each vertical support column 110 . the cables can be tightened and the lintel camber angle may be flattened for the addition of bricks . thereafter , the cables and bolts can be removed and covers can be applied to the columns . referring now to fig6 and 7 , there is a close - up view of the covers 600 attached to the lintel lift system and a rear exploded view of the lintel lift system covers , respectfully , according to an exemplary embodiment . the covers may be made of vinyl , or an alternative material may be used . the cover may include three pieces 601 , 602 , and 603 that are adapted to attach via a snap fit to the vertical support columns , the angle iron lintel 120 , and the corner where the vertical support column and horizontal flange of the lintel join , respectively . the covers are designed to cover parts of the lintel lift system that remain exposed after using the lintel system in a retrofit or new construction . each of the cover pieces includes an edge portion that is sized to press fit on to the angle iron lintel 120 or the vertical support column 110 . as shown in fig7 , the cover pieces may also include notches that allow the cover pieces to fit together . for example , lintel cover piece 602 may include a notch on the horizontal portion of the cover piece that is configured to receive an upper portion of the vertical support column cover piece 601 . similarly , the corner cover piece 603 may also include a notch that is configured to engage a portion of the vertical support column cover piece 601 . corner cover piece 603 may also include a notch that is configured to engage the vertical portion of cover piece 602 . although the inventive concepts of the present disclosure have been described and illustrated with respect to exemplary embodiments thereof , it is not limited to the exemplary embodiments disclosed herein and modifications may be made therein without departing from the scope of the inventive concepts .
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an embodiment of an electrode lead for use with the circuit and method in accordance with the principles of the present invention is shown in fig1 , which is a view looking directly at the distal tip ( greatly enlarged ) of the cardiac lead . as can be seen in fig1 , the lead tip has a number of electrode dots distributed thereon , including a centrally disposed electrode dot 1 and a number of other electrode dots arranged relative to the centrally disposed electrode dot 1 . in the embodiment of fig1 , six other electrode dots 2 - 7 are shown , for a total of seven electrode dots in the embodiment of fig1 . in the embodiment of fig1 , the electrode dots 2 - 7 are shown as being annularly arranged around the centrally disposed electrode dot 1 , however , other locations are possible . the axes shown in fig1 are in arbitrary units and are solely for the purpose of providing a guide as to the relative placement of the electrode dots 1 - 7 . each electrode dot will have a diameter of approximately 0 . 5 mm . the lead tip shown in fig1 is at the distal end of a flexible , implantable electrode lead ( schematically shown in fig2 ), having an opposite end with a plug adapted to be fitted into a cardiac assist device , such as a pacemaker , cardioverter or defibrillator . the lead will contain respective conductors for the electrode dots 1 - 7 , each conductor being insulated from the others and the entire lead being jacketed in an insulating sheath , as is standard . the surface of the electrode tip surrounding the respective electrode dots 1 - 7 is composed of insulating material , so that the electrode dots are electrically insulated from each other . in practice , a unipolar signal is obtained from each of the electrode dots 1 - 7 , i . e ., seven unipolar signals are obtained . these unipolar signals can be analyzed by time offsets ( shifts ) differences between the respective unipolar signals from any two of the electrode dots . the reasons why these time effects exist is as follows . the depolarization of heart cells can be considered as being represented by a propagating wavefront . if the wavefront is assumed to be propagating from right to left in fig1 , with the respective unipolar signals from the electrode dots 1 - 7 being sampled as the wavefront propagates , the wavefront will arrive later at electrode dot 5 , for example , than at electrode dot 1 , because the distance between the electrode dots is not negligible relative to the propagation speed of the wavefront and the sampling frequency . there will be no offset , for example , between arrival at the wavefront at electrode dots 3 and 7 , or arrival of the wavefront at electrode dots 4 and 6 . as an example , assume that the unipolar signal from electrode dot 5 is offset or shifted 1 ms ( or 5 samples , if the sampling frequencies is 5 khz ) compared to the unipolar signal from electrode dot 1 . the respective waveforms of the unipolar signals from electrode dots 1 and 5 are basically the same in appearance , but as a generalized statement the unipolar signal from the electrode dot 5 will be shifted by 5 samples relative to the unipolar signal from the electrode dot 1 . therefore , the time difference between a sample at a given time t in the unipolar signal obtained from the electrode dot 5 , and a sample at time t − 5 in the unipolar signal obtained from dot 1 , will be 0 . if the wavefront comes from a different direction , however , and the difference between the samples at these times in the two unipolar signals is calculated , the difference signal will not be 0 . thus , for every combination of pairs of electrode dots and direction of propagation of the wavefront , there is a time delay associated with that combination , corresponding to a distinct number of samples . in other words , if it is necessary to delay ( shift ) one of the unipolar signals by this distinct number of samples before creating a bipolar signal with another unipolar signal , a minimum signal is obtained . the number of samples by which it is necessary to shift one of the unipolar signals relative to the other is determined by calculating the correlation between these two unipolar signals for different time shifts . shifting one of the signals by the aforementioned distinct number of samples will yield the highest correlation result . since the calculation of the correlation includes several multiplications , which is time consuming as well as imposing processor demands , alternatively the sum of the absolute differences between the two signals can be calculated . a shift of one signal relative to the other by the aforementioned distinct number of samples will generate the smallest sum of absolute differences . in order to use the difference signals as an analysis tool for identifying cardiac abnormalities , it must be identified which delay , for a given pair of dots , occurs as a result of normal sinus rhythm , wherein the wavefront is propagating from a specific direction most of the time . if and when fibrillation occurs , due to the chaotic electrical activity of the cardiac tissue , the wavefront will propagate from different directions , and the departure of the delay from the delay which has been identified as representing normal sinus rhythm can be used as an indicator of the onset of fibrillation . in general , the procedure for analyzing the unipolar signals from a pair of electrode dots is as follows . the delay associated with a pair of electrode dots during normal sinus rhythm is identified , such as by correlation or another suitable technique . this delay can be denoted as delay . during operation of the cardiac assist device , a delayed difference signal is continuously calculated , such as x 1 ( t )− x 2 ( t − d ), instead of the undelayed difference signal x 1 ( t )− x 2 ( t ), wherein x 1 and x 2 represent the respective unipolar signals from two electrode dots in the pair under consideration . if the delayed difference signal , with appropriate filtering , if necessary , is larger than a threshold value , an episode of non - sinus rhythm is assumed to exist . the threshold value can be a predetermined value or can be adapted as data are accumulated . as noted above , what is really being detected using the electrode lead shown in fig1 is whether the propagating wavefront is arriving from a direction different from that which occurs during normal sinus rhythm . this change in direction , in addition to arising from an episode of fibrillation , could arise due to a premature ventricular contraction ( pvc ), or due to slight dislodgement of the lead . as explained below , by appropriate filtering and / or decision algorithms , the false detection of a pvc as ventricular - fibrillation can be eliminated . the probability of lead dislodgement becomes negligible after a period of time following implantation . it is recommended to periodically reinitialize the delay factor , i . e . to re - identify the delay associated with normal sinus rhythm at predetermined intervals , or when the delayed difference signal has slowly changed by more than a predetermined percentage . the basic components of an implantable cardiac assist device in accordance with the invention are shown in fig2 . the implantable cardiac assist device can be a pacemaker , a cardioverter or a defibrillator , for example . the implantable cardiac assist device has an input stage including amplifiers and filters , to which respective conductors , together forming a cardiac lead , from the electrode dots 1 - 7 are supplied . the unipolar signals from the electrode dots 1 - 7 are supplied to a heart beat identification stage as well as to main circuitry in the cardiac assist device . the functioning of the heartbeat identification stage will be described below , in several embodiments . the main circuitry is whatever type of circuitry is appropriate for the cardiac assist device , and can include pacing logic if the device is a pacemaker , or defibrillation circuitry if the device is a defibrillator . the appropriate cardiac assist therapy is generated in a known manner by the main circuitry and is delivered to the patient either through the aforementioned electrode lead or another appropriately designed electrode lead . the main circuitry , therefore , is conventional , except that it responds to a heartbeat identification signal produced in accordance with the invention . the main circuitry is also in communication with a telemetry unit , which wirelessly communicates with an external programmer in a known manner for reading out patient data and for making changes in the operating parameters of the implantable cardiac assist device , as needed . based on the unipolar signals from dots 1 , 2 , 3 and 4 , the time difference between dots 1 and 2 , dots 1 and 3 and dots 1 and 4 as a function of time is calculated using correlation . a portion of a predetermined length , i . e ., the window length , of the signals from dot 1 and dot 2 is selected . the window length may be one second , for example . the correlation between the two signal portions of the respective unipolar signals is then calculated and stored . the signal from dot 2 is then shifted by one sample compared to the signal from dot 1 , and the correlation is again calculated and stored . the window is then shifted two samples from the original position , and a new correlation is calculated and stored . this process is repeated for a predetermined number of shifts of the window , both positive and negative . the shift producing the highest correlation is the delay between the two dots in question . as described above , alternatively the sum of squares of the signal differences can be used , in order to avoid the time and complications associated with correlation calculations . in this alternative embodiment , a minimum should be sought . as time progresses , the process is repeated , so that a plot of the time difference compared to the center dot arises as a function of time . this is shown in fig4 . the same algorithm as described above was used for determining the time difference between dots 1 and 3 and dots 1 and 4 . as can be seen in fig4 , the time delay or time difference is constant during normal sinus rhythm and varies during fibrillation . a varying time difference between a pair of dots is thus a major indication of fibrillation . the time difference signal , after filtering , differentiation or some other manipulation , can be employed in combination with a threshold level to detect fibrillation . an embodiment of the heartbeat identification stage of fig2 is shown in fig5 . in this embodiment , signals obtained from the electrode dot lead are supplied to a qrs detector . these signals are supplied from the qrs detector to a pattern recognition unit as well as to a template collector . the template collector , through the main circuitry and the telemetry link , is in communication with the external programmer . signals from the electrode dot lead continuously arrive via the qrs detector at the template collector and are fed into a shift register . via the telemetry link , a physician who is monitoring the heart activity can freeze the contents of the shift register when a representative beat of the type which is intended to be stored as a template is present . otherwise , the signals proceed through the shift register and are not stored or prevented from entering said shift register . when the physician recognizes a signal displayed at the programmer of the type which the physician wishes to store , the physician operates the programmer to cause that signal to be stored in the template memory . as an example , input signals from the electrode dots 1 - 7 obtained during the occurrence of a pvc are shown in fig6 . the pvc occurs in the middle of fig6 . fig7 shows the detector pulses from the output of the qrs detector for the signals shown in fig6 . there are no distinguishable patterns which are visually apparent from fig7 , but if pulses from the signals from the electrode dots 1 - 7 are obtained and analyzed as described above , reliable detection can be made as shown in fig8 and 9 . the detector pulse pattern for the fourth beat in the signals shown in fig6 is shown in fig8 . the pulse pattern for the next beat ( the fifth beat ), which is a normal beat , is shown in fig9 . when analyzed in this manner , the difference is readily apparent . details of an embodiment for the pattern recognition block of fig5 are shown in fig1 . the input signals in 1 - in 7 are the pulses of the type shown in fig8 and 9 . these pulses are respectively supplied to shift register 1 - shift register 7 and the outputs of these shift registers are supplied to a reshaping unit . the pattern recognition unit is also supplied with two further inputs in 8 and in 9 , which respectively represent the qrs template and the pvc template , stored in the template memory . the clock signal ( not shown ) for operating these shift registers is the same as was used to generate the stored templates , i . e ., the clock signal that was used to feed the signals from the qrs detector to the template collector . this is necessary so that a direct correspondence will exist between the now - detected signals and the stored templates . the output of the reshaping unit is supplied to each of two dot product forming stages (“ dot product ” meaning the vector dot product ). these dot product forming stages are respectively are supplied with the qrs and pvc templates . by forming the respective dot product of these templates , in vector form , with the vector formed by the inputs in 1 - in 7 in the reshaping unit , an indication of whether normal qrs activity is present or whether a pvc is present is obtained . instead of using a dot product , other possible techniques are convolution and cross - correlation . fig1 shows representative signals in the circuit shown in fig1 . the top signal is one of the input signals to the qrs detector , the middle signal is the output of the qrs level detector , and the bottom signal is the output of the pvc level detector . although modifications and changes may be suggested by those skilled in the art , it is the intention of the inventors to embody within the patent warranted hereon all changes and modifications as reasonably and properly come within the scope of their contribution to the art .
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in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments , reference is made to the accompanying drawings , which form a part hereof , and in which is shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced . it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural or logical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention . the following detailed description , therefore , is not to be taken in a limiting sense , and the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims . [ 0018 ] fig1 shows a simplified representation of a side view of a motion detection device 1 suitable for tracking the movement of a human finger 7 pressed against a surface 5 of a transparent stud 3 . a motion detection device like that shown in fig1 is described in detail in the above - incorporated u . s . pat . no . 6 , 057 , 540 ( the &# 39 ; 540 patent ). the operation of motion detection device 1 is also summarized below . when the tip 6 of finger 7 is pressed against surface 5 , the ridges of skin and any other micro texture features are visible in the plane of surface 5 , just as if they were a part of surface 5 . lens 8 focuses light from those features onto an array of photo detectors , which is part of movement sensor 9 . movement sensor 9 automatically acquires and tracks any suitable image . when tracking an image , movement sensor 9 produces incremental ( x , y ) signals . lifting fingertip 6 away from surface 5 produces a loss of tracking . this condition is detected within motion detector 9 , and in one embodiment , the production of incremental ( x , y ) signals ceases . this has the effect of leaving the position of the screen pointer unchanged at whatever location it currently occupies , and is exactly the same as when a user of a mouse removes his hand from the mouse . when fingertip 6 is subsequently replaced on surface 5 , motion detector 9 appreciates that an image has been acquired , and , in one embodiment , treats that acquisition as though a reset has been performed . that is , until there has been new motion subsequent to the new acquisition , the incremental coordinates ( x , y ) will have the value ( 0 , 0 ). this leaves the existing position of the screen pointer undisturbed until such time as it is deliberately moved by the motion of fingertip 6 , and corresponds exactly to a mouse user &# 39 ; s placement of his hand back on the mouse without moving it . an led 2 , which is an ir led in one embodiment , emits light that is projected by lens 4 onto a region 5 that is part of a work surface 6 to be imaged for navigation . in one embodiment , motion sensor 9 is an integrated circuit ( ic ) having an array of photo detectors , memory , and arithmetic circuits arranged to implement image correlation and tracking functions described herein and in the incorporated patents . an image of the illuminated region 6 is projected through an optical window ( which may be transparent stud 3 itself ) to a package ( not shown ) of integrated circuit 9 and onto the array of photo detectors . lens 8 aids in the projection of the image onto the photo detectors . one preferred optical navigation technique used by motion detection device 1 involves optically detecting motion by directly imaging as an array of pixels the various particular optical features visible at surface 5 , much as human vision is believed to do . ir light reflected from a textured work surface pressed against surface 5 is focused onto a suitable array ( e . g ., 16 × 16 or 24 × 24 ) of photo detectors . the responses of the individual photo detectors are digitized to a suitable resolution and stored as a frame into corresponding locations within an array of memory . [ 0023 ] fig2 shows an electrical block diagram illustrating major components of motion detection device 1 . motion detection device 1 includes light source 2 , lenses 4 and 8 , and motion sensor 9 . motion sensor 9 includes light sensitive current sources 148 a - 148 c ( collectively referred to as current sources 148 ), electronic shutter 150 having a first plurality of switches 151 a - 151 c ( collectively referred to as switches 151 ) and a second plurality of switches 153 a - 153 c ( collectively referred to as switches 153 ). motion sensor 9 also includes a plurality of sense capacitors 154 a - 154 c ( collectively referred to as sense capacitors 154 ), multiplexer 156 , amplifier 157 , analog to digital ( a / d ) converter 158 , correlator 160 , system controller 162 , shutter controller 164 , and light controller 166 . in an alternative embodiment , only a single lens 8 is used , rather than two lenses 4 and 8 . the operation of motion sensor 9 is primarily controlled by system controller 162 , which is coupled to multiplexer 156 , a / d converter 158 , correlator 160 , shutter controller 164 , and light controller 166 . in operation , according to one embodiment , light source 2 emits light that is projected by lens 4 or to surface 6 , which is a fingertip in one form of the invention . in an alternative embodiment , screen pointer device 1 takes the form of an optical mouse , and surface 6 is a suitable surface for an optical mouse , such as a desktop . light source 2 is controlled by signals from light controller 166 . reflected light from surface 6 is directed by lens 8 to light sensitive current sources 148 . current sources 148 represent an array of photo detectors , and are also referred to as photo detectors 148 . photo detectors 148 each provide a current that varies in magnitude based upon the intensity of light incident on the photo detectors 148 . shutter switches 151 and 153 are controlled by a shutter signal from shutter controller 164 . electronic shutter 150 is “ open ” when switches 151 are open and switches 153 are closed , and electronic shutter 150 is “ closed ” when switches 153 are open . when shutter switches 151 are open and shutter switches 153 are closed ( i . e ., electronic shutter 150 is open ), charge accumulates on sense capacitors 154 , creating a voltage that is related to the intensity of light incident on photo detectors 148 . when shutter switches 153 are opened ( i . e ., electronic shutter 150 is closed ), no further charge accumulates or is lost from sense capacitors 154 . multiplexer 156 connects each sense capacitor 154 in turn to amplifier 157 and a / d converter 158 , to amplify and convert the voltage from each sense capacitor 154 to a digital value . sense capacitors 154 are then discharged by closing switches 151 and 153 . after discharging sense capacitors 154 , switches 151 are opened so that the charging process can be repeated . based on the level of voltage from sense capacitors 154 , a / d converter 158 generates a digital value of a suitable resolution ( e . g ., one to eight bits ) indicative of the level of voltage . the digital values for the array of photo detectors 148 represent a digital image or digital representation of the portion of fingertip 6 positioned over surface 5 of optical pointing device 1 . the digital values are stored as a frame into corresponding locations within an array of memory within correlator 160 . in one embodiment , each pixel in a frame corresponds to one of the photo detectors 148 . the overall size of the array of photo detectors 148 is preferably large enough to receive an image having several features ( e . g ., ridges in the whorls of skin ). in this way , images of such spatial features produce translated patterns of pixel information as fingertip 6 moves . the number of photo detectors 148 in the array and the frame rate at which their contents are digitized and captured cooperate to influence how fast fingertip 6 can be moved across photo detectors 148 and still be tracked . tracking is accomplished by correlator 160 by comparing a newly captured sample frame with a previously captured reference frame to ascertain the direction and amount of movement . in one embodiment , the entire content of one of the frames is shifted by correlator 160 by a distance of one pixel successively in each of the eight directions allowed by a one pixel offset trial shift ( one over , one over and one down , one down , one up , one up and one over , one over in the other direction , etc .). that adds up to eight trials . also , since there might not have been any motion , a ninth trial “ null shift ” is also used . after each trial shift , those portions of the frames that overlap each other are subtracted by correlator 160 on a pixel by pixel basis , and the resulting differences are preferably squared and then summed to form a measure of similarity ( correlation ) within that region of overlap . larger trial shifts are possible , of course ( e . g ., two over and one down ), but at some point the attendant complexity ruins the advantage , and it is preferable to simply have a sufficiently high frame rate with small trial shifts . the trial shift with the least difference ( greatest correlation ) can be taken as an indication of the motion between the two frames . that is , it provides raw movement information that may be scaled and or accumulated to provide display pointer movement information ( δx and δy ) of a convenient granularity and at a suitable rate of information exchange . correlator 160 automatically detects when fingertip 6 has been removed from surface 5 , by sensing that all or a majority of the pixels in the image have become essentially uniform . in addition to providing digital images to correlator 160 , aid converter 158 also outputs digital image data to shutter controller 164 . shutter controller 164 , helps to ensure that successive images have a similar exposure , and helps to prevent the digital values from becoming saturated to one value . controller 164 checks the values of digital image data and determines whether there are too many minimum values or too many maximum values . if there are too many minimum values , controller 164 increases the charge accumulation time of electronic shutter 150 . if there are too many maximum values , controller 164 decreases the charge accumulation time of electronic shutter 150 . in operation , images should be acquired at a rate sufficient that successive images differ in distance by no more that perhaps a quarter of the width of the array , or 4 pixels for a 16 × 16 array of photo detectors 148 . experiments show that a finger speed of 50 mm / sec is not unreasonable , which corresponds to a speed at the array of 800 pixels per second . to meet a requirement of not moving more than four pixels per cycle , a measurement rate of 200 samples per second is needed . this rate is quite practical , and it may be desirable to operate at several times this rate . [ 0031 ] fig3 is a timing diagram illustrating phases of a frame period 300 according to one embodiment of the present invention . a frame period represents the time provided for capturing an entire frame of image data , and for analyzing the image data to determine movement information . image data need not be captured every frame period . for example , when motion sensor 9 is in a low power mode , an image may only be captured every 10 or 12 frame periods . in one embodiment , when motion sensor 9 is in a fall power mode , an image is captured every frame period . frame period 300 includes three phases — an integration phase 302 , an analog to digital ( a / d ) conversion phase 304 , and an image processing phase 306 . during integration phase 302 , light is “ collected ” by photo detectors 148 , and charge accumulates on sense capacitors 154 as described above . during a / el conversion phase 304 , the collected charge from sense capacitors 154 is converted into digital data by a / d converter 304 as described above . during image processing phase 306 , correlator 160 processes the digital image data and generates incremental movement signals ( δx , δy ) as described above . in previous image sensors , in high power mode , the light source 2 typically remained on for all frame periods , and in low power mode , the light source 2 was typically turned on only during frame periods when images were captured . regardless of which mode the sensor was in , for each frame period that an image was captured , the light source remained on for that entire frame period . however , light is only needed for a small portion of frame period 300 . light is only needed during a portion of integration phase 302 when electronic shutter 150 is open , allowing light to be collected . power is unnecessarily consumed by leaving light source 2 on for an entire frame period 300 . in one embodiment of motion sensor 9 , light source 2 is controlled by shutter signal 308 from shutter controller 164 . shutter signal 308 is shown in fig3 below frame period 300 . as shown in fig2 shutter controller 164 is coupled to electronic shutter 150 and light controller 166 . when shutter signal 308 goes high , the high signal causes light controller 166 to turn on light source 2 . the high shutter signal 308 also causes electronic shutter 150 to open , thereby allowing charge to accumulate on sense capacitors 154 . when shutter signal 308 goes low , the low signal causes light controller 166 to turn off light source 2 , and causes electronic shutter 150 to close . therefore , light source 2 is only on during a portion of integration period 302 , rather than during the entire frame period 300 as in previous motion sensors . as described above , the time that electronic shutter 150 is open is varied based on how bright or dark the captured images are . likewise , the time that light source 2 is on is varied to be on as long as the electronic shutter 150 is open . the time that electronic shutter 150 is open and light source 2 is on is based on the length of time that shutter signal 308 remains high . during the period of time in integration period 302 prier to shutter signal 308 going high , sense capacitors 154 are reset or pre - charged to a desired starting value . the time that electronic shutter 150 is open is typically substantially less than the time it takes to setup and process one image frame ( i . e ., a frame period ). in one embodiment , a frame period 300 is over 10 , 000 clock cycles , whereas the electronic shutter 150 may only be open for 1 or 2 clock cycles of a frame period 300 . thus , a 10 , 000 to 1 reduction in the amount of current used for illumination may be obtained for each frame period 300 by only turning light source 2 on during the time electronic shutter 150 is open . power is saved regardless of whether motion sensor 9 is in a full power mode , or a low power mode . as described above in the background of the invention section , in some existing optical motion sensors , an undesirable switch from the low power mode to a full power mode can be caused by noise or reasonably slow drift motions . in one form of the invention , motion sensor 9 implements a process for avoiding this undesirable switch to full power mode , which includes time averaging motion values . fig4 is a flow diagram illustrating one embodiment of a process 400 implemented by motion sensor 9 for reducing power consumption by avoiding such an undesirable switch to full power mode . to simplify the explanation , process 400 is described in the context of one - dimensional movement ( i . e ., movement in an x direction ). process 400 begins with motion sensor 9 in a low power mode . in step 402 , a frame of image data is captured by motion sensor 9 . in step 404 , the captured frame is correlated with a previous frame by correlator 160 . based on the correlation , correlator 160 determines δx in step 406 , which represents the amount of the movement . in step 408 , motion sensor 9 updates a stored current accumulated δx value by adding the δx determined in step 406 to the stored current accumulated δx value . motion sensor 9 then stores the updated value . in step 410 , motion sensor 9 determines whether the current accumulated δx value ( as updated in step 408 ) is greater than a threshold value . in one embodiment , the threshold value is 1 , representing a one pixel movement per frame . if the current accumulated δx value is not greater than the threshold value , motion sensor 9 reduces the current accumulated δx by a decay factor in step 412 and stores the reduced value . in one embodiment , the decay factor is 0 . 5 . in alternative embodiments , other decay factors are used . after reducing the current accumulated δx by the decay factor , motion sensor 9 remains in a low power mode , and jumps to step 402 to repeat the process . if the current accumulated δx value is greater than the threshold value in step 410 , the δx motion data determined in step 406 is reported in step 414 . in step 416 , motion sensor 9 enters a full power mode . to further explain process 400 , an example with movement values will described . assume that there has been no motion detected for a long period , and then a first movement occurs that is a one - half pixel movement . thus , in step 406 , correlator 160 determines that δx = 0 . 5 . in step 408 , 0 . 5 is added to the current accumulated δx value ( which is about 0 since there has been no movement for a while ). thus , the updated current accumulated δx value is 0 . 5 . since the current accumulated δx value is not greater than 1 ( step 410 ), motion sensor 9 reduces the current accumulated δx to 0 . 25 ( 0 . 5 × decay factor of 0 . 5 ) in step 412 , and motion sensor 9 remains in a low power mode . process 400 is then repeated , beginning at step 402 . assuming that the next δx calculated in step 406 is also 0 . 5 , the current accumulated δx as updated in step 408 will be 0 . 75 ( 0 . 25 + the new δx value of 0 . 5 ). since the current accumulated δx value ( 0 . 75 ) is not greater than 1 ( step 410 ), motion sensor 9 reduces the current accumulated δx value to 0 . 375 ( 0 . 75 × decay factor of 0 . 5 ) in step 412 , and motion sensor 9 remains in a low power mode . process 400 is again repeated . assuming that the next δx calculated in step 406 is 1 . 0 , the current accumulated δx as updated in step 408 will be 1 . 375 ( 0 . 375 + the new δx value of 1 . 0 ). since the current accumulated δx value ( 1 . 375 ) is greater than 1 ( step 410 ), motion sensor 9 reports the motion ( step 414 ) and enters a fall power mode ( step 416 ). process 400 maintains the motion accuracy of motion sensor 9 , but effectively reduces the sensitivity of motion sensor 9 to go into a full power mode when small amounts of motion are reported . power savings are obtained by remaining in low power mode in the presence of noise , vibrations , or slow drift motions that caused previous motion sensors to switch to full power mode . by time averaging motion reports , motions far in the past are “ forgotten ”, and only , current motions have a significant effect in determining whether motion sensor 9 will enter full power mode . when motion stops , the current accumulated δx value continues to decay each frame period to zero . if motion reports are oscillating back and forth , for example , between + 1 and − 1 pixels , the time averaging feature works to cancel out this type of noise . although the power savings techniques described herein are described in the context of a finger pointing device , the techniques are also applicable to an optical desktop mouse implementation . it will be understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art that functions performed by motion sensor 9 may be implemented in hardware , software , firmware , or any combination thereof . the implementation may be via a microprocessor , programmable logic device , or state machine . components of the present invention may reside in software on one or more computer - readable mediums . the term computer - readable medium as used herein is defined to include any kind of memory , volatile or non - volatile , such as floppy disks , hard disks , cd - roms , flash memory , read - only memory ( rom ), and random access memory . although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein for purposes of description of the preferred embodiment , it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that a wide variety of alternate and / or equivalent implementations may be substituted for the specific embodiments shown and described without departing from the scope of the present invention . those with skill in the chemical , mechanical , electromechanical , electrical , and computer arts will readily appreciate that the present invention may be implemented in a very wide variety of embodiments . this application is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of the preferred embodiments discussed herein . therefore , it is manifestly intended that this invention be limited only by the claims and the equivalents thereof .
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fig1 is a diagram showing an inkjet printer . according to this embodiment , the printer comprises a roller 1 used to support a receiving medium 2 , such as a sheet of paper or a transparency , and move it along the carriage 3 . the carriage includes a carrier 5 to which four printheads 4 a , 4 b , 4 c and 4 d have been fitted . each printhead contains its own color , in this case cyan ( c ), magenta ( m ), yellow ( y ) and black ( k ) respectively . the printheads are heated using heating elements 9 , which have been fitted to the rear of each printhead 4 and to the carrier 5 . the temperature of the printheads is maintained at the correct level by the application of a central control unit 10 ( controller ). the roller 1 may rotate around its own axis as indicated by arrow a . in this manner , the receiving medium may be moved in the sub - scanning direction ( often referred to as the x direction ) relative to the carrier 5 , and therefore also relative to the printheads 4 . the carriage 3 may be moved in reciprocation using suitable drive mechanisms ( not shown ) in a direction indicated by double arrow b , parallel to roller 1 . to this end , the carrier 5 is moved across the guide rods 6 and 7 . this direction is generally referred to as the main scanning direction or y direction . in this manner , the receiving medium may be fully scanned by the printheads 4 . according to the embodiment as shown in fig1 , each printhead 4 comprises a number of internal ink chambers ( not shown ), each with its own exit opening ( nozzle ) 8 . the nozzles in this embodiment form one row per printhead perpendicular to the axis of roller 1 ( i . e ., the row extends in the sub - scanning direction ). in a practical embodiment of an inkjet printer , the number of ink chambers per printhead will be many times greater and the nozzles will be arranged over two or more rows . each ink chamber includes a piezo - electric converter ( not shown ) that may generate a pressure wave in the ink chamber so that an ink drop is ejected from the nozzle of the associated chamber in the direction of the receiving medium . the converters may be actuated image - wise via an associated electrical drive circuit ( not shown ) by application of the central control unit 10 . in this manner , an image made up of ink drops may be formed on receiving medium 2 . if a receiving medium is printed using such a printer where ink drops are ejected from ink chambers , the receiving medium , or some of it , is imaginarily split into fixed locations that form a regular field of pixel rows and pixel columns . according to one embodiment , the pixel rows are perpendicular to the pixel columns . the individual locations thus produced may each be provided with one or more ink drops . the number of locations per unit of length in directions parallel to the pixel rows and pixel columns is referred to as the resolution of the printed image , for example indicated as 400 × 600 d . p . i . (“ dots per inch ”). by actuating a row of printhead nozzles of the inkjet printer , image - wise , when it is moved relative to the receiving medium as the carrier 5 moves , an image , or some of it , made up of ink drops is formed on the receiving medium , or at least formed in a strip as wide as the length of the nozzle row . fig2 is a diagram showing an inkjet printhead 4 in which the present invention may be applied . this printhead comprises a carrier 21 having a surface 21 a on which two piezo - electric converters 24 a and 24 b have been fitted . these converters may be actuated by imposing electrical pulses via electrodes 25 a and 25 b respectively . the carrier furthermore comprises support elements 21 b which are involved in carrying the compliant foil 26 onto which the ink chamber structure is fitted . this foil is fitted to the tops 29 a and 29 b of the piezo - electric converters . in this schematic embodiment , only two ink chambers 27 a and 27 b have been shown for the ink chamber structure , separated by the deformable wall 22 . the ink chambers open into nozzles 8 a and 8 b . the chambers are closed by plate 23 , said plate comprising an inlet opening 23 a which may be used for feeding ink into the chambers . fig3 is a diagram showing a different embodiment of an inkjet printhead in which the present invention has been embodied . the diagram shows a cross - section of the inkjet printhead 40 . in this embodiment , the printhead comprises a carrier 31 on which the converters 34 a and 34 b have been placed , as well as the support elements 31 b . the carrier has a thickness y of 1 mm and has been made from thomit 600 , a ceramic aluminium and oxide containing material originating from ceramtec from marktredwitz ( germany ). elements 31 and 34 are multi - layer piezo - electric ( generally applied pzt material ) elements with a height x of 650 μm and a thickness m of 85 μm . onto this has been fitted the compliant foil 36 , which in this embodiment is a 10 μm thick upilex polyamide foil ( e modulus 9 gpa ). the ink chambers 37 a and 37 b are shown having a width l of 200 μm and a height z of 140 μm . these chambers are milled into a 2 mm thick carbon plate 33 producing inner walls 32 having a thickness k of 140 μm . as these walls are made from carbon , they may deform in a direction parallel to direction d as indicated . the chosen thickness k , together with the wall configuration as a component of plate 33 mean that they will deform relatively easily if the pressure inside a chamber changes . if , for example , piezo - electric converter 34 a is actuated , then the adjacent chamber 37 b will be subject to a volume change by pressure waves generated as a result of this chamber being stretched in direction c as indicated ( in which the piezo - electric elements extend ). however , actuation also increases the pressure inside chamber 37 a , causing the wall 32 to deform towards chamber 37 b . the selected configuration is such that it induces a volume change in chamber 37 b , which is ( virtually ) fully compensated by the above - mentioned volume change of chamber 37 b as a result of the chamber being stretched . as such , chamber 37 b will not be subject to a net volume change due to actuation of converter 34 a . practice has also shown that , in this embodiment , the radial diameters in chamber 37 b do not change when converter 34 a is actuated . this , in essence , prevents the occurrence of pressure waves in chamber 37 b , so that cross - talk can be forced back even further . in one embodiment , where a more rigid material is selected for the wall , this will need to be made thinner and / or configured differently so that it retains adequate deformability . the construction of the wall will also depend on whether full power closure will exist or not between the piezo - electric converters via carrier element 31 . if there is no full power closure , then actuation of the converter which corresponds to a certain chamber will induce a volume change in an adjacent chamber that increases as the power closure deteriorates . to compensate for this volume change , the wall will therefore need to deform to a greater extent upon actuation .
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the modern train moves along a set of parallel railroad tracks with a locomotive and a series of cars attached to the locomotive . beneath the tracks are a plurality of the railroad ties that rest perpendicular to the railroad tracks and support the railroad tracks . this system of train travel has existed from the beginning of train travel . because trains are typically loud and tend to travel throughout the night , trains often move in very remote locations . because trains are large cumbersome structures it is important to be able to periodically inspect the connections between cars as well as the general condition of the undercarriage of the train . the train cars are typically assembled using a set of knuckles and hasps that connect the cars . with this type of system the cars can be disconnected if desired . it is imperative that the integrity of the connections means ( knuckles and hasps ) and the train &# 39 ; s undercarriage be inspected periodically . the failure of the connection means may lead to the derailment of a train with its attendant costs . in the prior art the train would need to be stopped in order to allow humans to visually inspect the undercarriage for defects . this is cumbersome and results in delays in train travel and moving goods and people from location to location . this system incorporates a series of items that will allow the undercarriage of a train to be inspected periodically without the need to stop the train for a visual inspection . a container 5 with the components of this device is secured to the ties 2 of a railroad track 1 and is designed to be portable ; the container 5 may also be buried . the train will roll over the railroad tracks 1 , which are perpendicular to the ties 2 . as the trains move over the container a series of high resolution photographs are taken of the train &# 39 ; s undercarriage . the system is activated using a predetermined means 50 in the software that will detect the presence of a train . the system will remain active as long as it is required to capture the images and the system will automatically turn the system “ off ” using a preset in the software 40 for that purpose . during the normal operation is system is not operational until the presence of a train is detected by the activation means 50 . the presence of a train may be detected using a laser system that will detect the presence of a train . within the container are the following components : camera 10 , mirror 15 , lighting means 20 , a slit 30 , which is in the range of 1 - 5 pixels wide and is provided so that the images of the undercarriage of a train car can be gathered . the camera images will be collected through the slit as the image of the undercarriage is reflected off the mirror 15 that is in the container 5 . in order to insure a clear image , a piece of anti - glare glass 25 is placed over the slit 30 and the lighting around the area is carefully monitored and controlled . the camera 10 is capable of capturing high resolution images at rapid speeds in a variety of lighting or environmental conditions to include low lighting , dim lighting , and complete darkness . additionally the speed of the camera frame speed is controlled and adjusted in real time by the software from data that is collected from the linear speed detection device 60 and the control board 65 that collects the speed data and then adjusts the frame speed of the camera 10 . the mirror 15 is provided to insure that the image of the undercarriage of the train car is clearly represented and to prevent damage to the camera within the container . as the trains roll over the device on the tracks , a series of fragmented images are taken of the undercarriage of the train . these images are in the range of 1 - 5 pixels , with a preferential pixel width of 2 pixels . each of the images are collected individually and sent to a server . the individual images that are captured are then reassembled to present a clear picture of the train undercarriage . at a certain preset , probably the length of a train car , in the software control the set points at which images are reassembled into a picture of the individual train car . the individual train cars can then be reassembled by the software into a complete train and the images transferred 45 . the software 40 is likely to have a preset at the individual train car so that the pixels can be reassembled into an individual train car and the view of the entire train once reassembled by the software can then be transferred to a remote location and then reassembled and viewed . the software will allow the images of the entire train to be forwarded to a remote location , if needed . the lighting means 20 can be adjusted both in terms of intensity and direction to obtain the best possible images as the area above the slit 30 is illuminated . the lighting means is necessary to insure an appropriate discernible image can be captured and reproduced . the lighting means 20 is illuminated in such a way that it minimizes the likelihood of shadows covering the inspected areas of the trains undercarriage . many different types of lighting means may be used but considerations for the lighting means should include the ability to quickly and brightly illuminate the area . the choice of led lighting is probably an ideal means to illuminate although different means may be used . software 40 is provided to control the activation and deactivation of the system , the lighting means including the intensity and direction of the lighting means as well as the image capture and image transfer 45 . after the fragmented pictures of the undercarriage of a train car are gathered , the images are reassembled to provide a high resolution image . end points are established by the software to gather a finite amount of information . the software also provides an alarm 70 in the event that a preset anomaly is detected , such as a foreign object in the undercarriage of the train car or damage to any of the components of the undercarriage including the coupling or knuckle of the train car . while the description of this invention is set forth in this application , modifications may be made to the invention without departing from the spirit of the invention .
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the following discussion provides example embodiments of the inventive subject matter . although each embodiment represents a single combination of inventive elements , the inventive subject matter is considered to include all possible combinations of the disclosed elements . thus if one embodiment comprises elements a , b , and c , and a second embodiment comprises elements b and d , then the inventive subject matter is also considered to include other remaining combinations of a , b , c , or d , even if not explicitly disclosed . fig1 shows an exploded view of a handleset assembly 100 and a door 200 . handleset assembly 100 comprises a handleset 101 , a deadbolt cylinder 102 , a deadbolt assembly 103 , a latch - bolt assembly 104 , a spindle 105 , a mounting plate 106 , assembly screws 107 , a face plate 108 , a first collar 109 , a first washer 110 , a turn - piece 111 , a second collar 112 , a second washer 113 , a handle 115 ( with a set screw 114 ), a washer 116 , a handleset screw 117 , and a cover 118 . handleset assembly 100 has a concealed crew design , in which assembly screws 107 are hidden once assembly 100 is installed on door 200 . each of the components of assembly 100 will now be described in more detail . fig2 shows a perspective view of door 200 . door 200 has a first major surface 201 , a second major surface 202 , and a first minor surface 203 ( e . g ., an edge surface ). surface 203 has a first blind - hole 204 ( e . g ., a first edge bore ) and a second blind - hole 205 ( e . g ., a first edge bore ). blind - hole 204 is sized and dimensioned to receive deadbolt assembly 103 and blind - hole 205 is sized and dimensioned to receive latch - bolt assembly 104 . door 200 also has a first cross through - hole 206 ( e . g ., a cross bore ) that perpendicularly intersects with blind - hole 204 and a second cross through - hole 207 ( e . g ., a cross bore ) that perpendicularly intersects with blind - hole 207 . first cross through - hole 206 is sized and dimensioned to receive deadbolt cylinder 102 . second cross through - hole 207 is sized and dimensioned to receive a chassis member 302 on handleset 101 . in addition , door 200 has a third through - hole 208 sized and dimensioned to receive handleset assembly screw 117 . fig3 shows a rear perspective view of handleset 101 . handleset 101 has an opening 301 sized and dimensioned to receive deadbolt cylinder 102 . handleset 101 also has a chassis member 302 . chassis member 302 has a spindle hole 306 that is sized and dimensioned to receive , and mechanically engage , spindle 105 . chassis member 302 also has two threaded screw holes 307 , which are sized and dimensioned to mate with assembly screws 107 . handleset 101 additionally comprises a thumb - piece 303 that actuates chassis member 302 and spindle 105 . more specifically , pressing thumb - piece 101 down causes spindle 105 to rotate . finally , handleset 101 has a handle 304 for opening door 200 , and a threaded opening 305 for fastening handle 304 to door 200 . fig4 a shows a rear perspective view of deadbolt cylinder 102 . fig4 b shows a front perspective view of deadbolt cylinder 102 . deadbolt cylinder 102 has a key hole 401 that is sized and dimensioned to receive a key . deadbolt cylinder 102 also has a cylindrical housing 402 that houses a locking mechanism configured to rotate tail piece 404 when a key is inserted into key hole 401 and rotated . tail piece 404 extends from the rear of cylindrical housing 402 and has a cross section that mechanically engages opening 603 in stem 600 . cylindrical housing 402 has an annular flange 403 that is sized and dimensioned to stop deadbolt cylinder 102 from being inserted completely through opening 301 . cylindrical housing 402 has a cylindrical shape , however non - cylindrical shapes are also contemplated . fig5 a shows an exploded rear perspective view of mounting plate 106 . the upper end of mounting plate 106 comprises a rotatable stem 600 that is inserted into opening 501 and held in place with clip 502 . chimney housing 503 houses a catch 504 , spring 505 , and set screw 506 . ball 504 is sized and dimensioned to engage indentations in the surface of stem 600 . adjusting set screw 506 will increase or decrease the force of ball 504 against stem 600 . the lower end of mounting plate 106 comprises a rotatable spindle through - hole 700 that is inserted into opening 507 and held in place by clip 508 . clip 508 also hold torsion spring 509 and cover bracket 510 to the rear surface of mounting plate 106 . the spring constant and torsional resistance of spring 509 can be selected ( or replaced with a different spring ) depending on the configuration for handle 115 ( e . g ., knob vs . lever ). spring 509 provides a resistance to the rotation of spindle through - hole 700 . spindle through - hole 700 has an opening that is sized and dimensioned to receive spindle 105 . spindle through - hole 700 has to opposing set screws 511 that engage two opposing grooves on spindle 105 ( e . g ., groove 901 ). fig5 b shows a front perspective view of mounting plate 106 . the upper end of mounting plate 106 has two assembly screw holes 512 on opposite sides of stem 600 . the lower end of mounting plate 106 has two set screws 513 on opposite sides of spindle through - hole 700 . assembly screw holes 5512 and 513 are sized and dimensioned to receive assembly screws 107 . fig5 c shows a rear perspective view of mounting plate in 106 . fig5 d shows a rear plan view of mounting plate 106 . fig5 e shows a front plan view of mounting plate 106 . fig5 f shows a side view of mounting plate 106 . fig5 g shows a close - up top , rear , perspective view of mounting plate 106 . set screw 506 can be adjusted from this angle to increase or decrease the force on ball 504 . fig6 a shows a rear perspective view of stem 600 . fig6 b shows a front perspective view of stem 600 . fig6 c shows a side view of stem 600 . stem 600 is an elongated member with a longitudinal axis of rotation . stem 600 has an annular flange 601 that is sized and dimensioned to stop stem 600 from completely passing through opening 501 in mounting plate 106 . stem 600 also has a radial groove 602 sized and dimensioned to receive ball 504 . ball 504 travels around groove 602 as stem 600 rotates . stem 600 has an opening 603 through its center . opening 603 has a cross section that is sized and dimensioned to receive , and mechanically engage with , tail piece 404 on deadbolt cylinder 102 . when a user inserts a key in key hole 401 and rotates the key , tail piece 404 rotates , which rotates stem 600 and turn - piece 111 . fig6 d shows a rear plan view of stem 600 . stem 600 has four longitudinal grooves 604 that are spaced apart by a radial distance ( e . g ., 90 degrees ). as stem 600 rotates 360 degrees , ball 504 travels around groove 602 and snaps into each of the plurality of longitudinal grooves 604 every 90 degrees . when ball 504 falls into grooves 604 , stem 600 latches in place . grooves 604 help turn - piece 111 and stem 600 to stay in their open position and closed position without wobbling or play or sagging over time . fig6 e shows a front plan view of the stem 600 . the front end of stem 600 has a cross sectional shape that mechanically engages opening 1000 in turn - piece 111 ( see fig1 ) so that stem 600 and turn - piece 111 rotate together . turn - piece 111 also has a set screw 111 a to rigidly fasten turn - piece 111 to stem 600 . fig7 a shows a front perspective view of the spindle through - hole 700 . spindle through - hole 700 is sized and dimensioned to fit inside of , and removably couple with , opening 507 . spindle through - hole 700 is held in place by clip 508 . spindle through - hole 700 also has an opening 701 extending longitudinally from the front end to the back end . opening 701 is sized and dimensioned to receive a spindle . spindle through - hole 700 has a threaded opening 702 extending radially through the cylindrical body of spindle - hole 700 . opening 702 is sized and dimensioned to receive a set screw . tightening a set screw in opening 702 when a spindle is disposed in opening 701 locks the spindle in place and helps to prevent lever sag and wobble . fig7 b shows a rear perspective view of the spindle through - hole 700 . the rear end of spindle through - hole 700 has a groove extending radially through the cylindrical body of spindle - hole 700 . fig7 c shows a side view of the spindle through - hole 700 . fig7 d shows a front plan view of the spindle through - hole 700 . fig7 e shows a rear plan view of the spindle through - hole 700 . fig8 a shows an exploded front perspective view of the mounting plate 106 and faceplate 108 . fig8 b is an exploded rear perspective view of the mounting plate 106 and faceplate 108 . these exploded views show the order in which the components are assembled to construct mounting plate 106 and faceplate 108 . fig8 c shows a rear perspective view of the mounting plate 106 coupled with faceplate 108 in an assembled state . fig8 d shows a side view of the mounting plate 106 and faceplate 108 . fig9 shows an exploded view of the spindle 105 . spindle 105 has a first elongated member 901 rotatably coupled with a second elongated member 902 . elongated member 901 has two opposing longitudinal grooves 903 ( the second groove is not visible from the perspective of fig9 ). grooves 903 are sized and dimensioned to engage with set screws on handle 115 and spindle through - hole 700 . spring - loaded ball catch 905 ( e . g ., detent ) is spaced apart from protrusions 903 by a distance that is substantially equal to , or slightly larger than , the length of spindle through - hole 700 . ball catch 905 retracts in a flush position when spindle 105 is inserted into through - hole 700 . protrusions 903 are sized and dimensioned to prevent spindle 105 from being inserted further into through - hole 700 . protrusions 903 and ball catch 905 straddle through - hole 700 and keep spindle in place ( e . g ., on mounting plate 106 ) during assembly . fig1 shows a rear plan view of turn - piece 111 . turn - piece 111 has an opening 1000 that is sized and dimensioned to mechanically engage the end of stem 600 . from a methods perspective , the inventive subject matter includes a method of installing a concealed screw handleset . in one aspect , the concealed screw handleset comprises a faceplate having a first opening and a second opening spaced apart by a first distance ; a mounting plate having a first threaded hole and a second threaded hole spaced apart by a second distance that is substantially equal to the first distance ; a rotatable stem extending from the center of the first threaded hole and having a first longitudinal groove ; a spindle through - hole sized disposed in the center of the second threaded hole and sized and dimensioned to receive a spindle ; a first collar sized and dimensioned to fit in the first opening of the faceplate and having threads that mate with the first threaded hole ; and a second collar sized and dimensioned to fit in the second opening of the faceplate and having threads that mate with the first threaded hole . the method comprises the steps of : ( i ) installing the mounting plate onto a first major surface of a door such that the rotatable stem and spindle through - hole are aligned with a first through - hole and a second through - hole , respectively , on the door ; ( ii ) fastening the faceplate to the mounting plate and to the first major surface of the door by ( a ) aligning the first opening and second opening of the faceplate with the first threaded hole and second threaded hole , respectively , of the mounting plate ; ( b ) inserting the first collar through the first opening of the faceplate from an outward facing surface of the faceplate , and threading the first collar to the first threaded hole of the mounting plate ; and ( c ) inserting the second collar through the second opening of the faceplate from the outward facing surface of the faceplate , and threading the second collar to the second threaded hole of the mounting plate . in some embodiments , the step of installing the mounting plate onto a first major surface of a door comprises : ( i ) inserting a tailpiece of a deadbolt cylinder into a key hole in the center of the rotatable stem of the mounting plate from a second major surface of the door ; ( ii ) fastening the deadbolt cylinder to the mounting plate with one or more assembly screws ; ( iii ) inserting the spindle into the spindle through - hole ; ( iv ) placing a chassis member of a handleset onto an end of the spindle from the second major surface of the door ; and ( v ) fastening the chassis member to the mounting plate with one or more assembly screws . in another aspect of some embodiments , the method further comprises the steps of : ( i ) attaching a turn - piece to the stem from the outside surface of the faceplate , wherein the turn - piece is sized and dimensioned to completely cover the first collar ; and ( ii ) attaching a handle to an end of the spindle from the first major surface of the door , wherein the handle is sized and dimensioned to completely cover the second collar . as used in the description herein and throughout the claims that follow , the meaning of “ a ,” “ an ,” and “ the ” includes plural reference unless the context clearly dictates otherwise . also , as used in the description herein , the meaning of “ in ” includes “ in ” and “ on ” unless the context clearly dictates otherwise . also , as used herein , and unless the context dictates otherwise , the term “ coupled to ” is intended to include both direct coupling ( in which two elements that are coupled to each other contact each other ) and indirect coupling ( in which at least one additional element is located between the two elements ). therefore , the terms “ coupled to ” and “ coupled with ” are used synonymously . thus , specific compositions and methods of concealed screw handleset assembly have been disclosed . it should be apparent , however , to those skilled in the art that many more modifications besides those already described are possible without departing from the inventive concepts herein . the inventive subject matter , therefore , is not to be restricted except in the spirit of the disclosure . moreover , in interpreting the disclosure all terms should be interpreted in the broadest possible manner consistent with the context . in particular the terms “ comprises ” and “ comprising ” should be interpreted as referring to the elements , components , or steps in a non - exclusive manner , indicating that the referenced elements , components , or steps can be present , or utilized , or combined with other elements , components , or steps that are not expressly referenced .
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the present invention will now be explained in details based on drawings illustrating embodiments thereof . fig1 is a perspective view showing a configuration of an essential part of the sewing machine with an uncurling device according to the present invention . as illustrated in the drawing , an uncurling device 1 is attached to a front surface of a sewing bed b of an overlock sewing machine by means of a stationary supporting plate 2 and an operational supporting plate 3 . a needle plate 4 is provided in a bridging manner on an upper surface on one end portion ( left end portion ) of the sewing bed b while a cross plate c is provided around the needle plate 4 . sewing by using the overlock sewing machine is performed by pinching an upper fabric w 1 and a lower fabric w 2 that are fed onto the cross plate c in a vertically overlapped manner ( see fig2 fig5 and fig6 ) between the needle plate 4 and a presser plate 5 , and while applying feeding force in a direction as indicated by the hollow arrow in the drawing , edge hems of both fabrics w 1 , w 2 are overedge - chain stitched by synergistic motions of a needle and a looper ( not shown ). the stationary supporting plate 2 is fixed to extend along the front surface of the sewing bed b by means of three fixing screws each located in the center and on the right and left thereof , and a supporting protrusion 20 and a stopper protrusion 21 are provided on both lateral sides thereof to protrude frontward . the operational supporting plate 3 is arranged in that one end thereof is pivotally supported by means of a hinge shaft 22 at a tip end portion of the supporting protrusion 20 and is attached to be swingable in a substantially horizontal plane around the hinge shaft 22 . thus , the operational supporting plate 3 may assume either an operational position with the other end abutting against the stopper protrusion 21 so as to be substantially parallel to the stationary supporting plate 2 as illustrated by the solid line in the drawing or a retracted position in which the operational supporting plate 3 is opened so as to be substantially orthogonal to the stationary supporting plate 2 when not in use as illustrated by the two - dot chain line in the drawing . it should be noted that the operational supporting plate 3 in the operational position is arranged in that the other end is engaged with and restrained by a hinge spring 23 fixed to an upper surface of the stopper protrusion 21 , and for moving to the retracted position , a pulling force in a frontward direction is applied to the other end of the operational supporting plate 3 for disengaging the engagement with the hinge spring 23 . the uncurling device 1 is arranged in that it comprises a fixed plate 10 fixed to a front surface of the operational supporting plate 3 through clamping by a pair of laterally arranged fixing screws , a suction tube 11 integrally formed along a rear surface of the fixed plate 10 , and a separating plate 12 connectedly provided at one end portion ( left end portion ) of the suction tube 11 . fig2 is a partial cutaway front view of an essential part of the uncurling device 1 , fig3 a plan view thereof , and fig4 is a transverse sectional view along line iv — iv of fig2 . as illustrated in these drawings , the suction tube 11 that is fixedly provided on the rear surface of the fixed plate 10 is a cylindrical body having a rectangular section with a narrow width in vertical directions and with a wide width in front and rear directions . the separating plate 12 is connectedly provided at the one end portion of the suction tube 11 to divide across substantially its center in the vertical directions , and an air - intake 13 that is open to form a rectangular section is formed across the upper surface and the lower surface of the separating plate 12 . a connecting tube 14 with a circular section is integrally connected to the other end portion ( right end portion ) of the suction tube 11 wherein this connecting tube 14 is connected to ejector e through air - supplying hose 6 as illustrated in fig1 . the ejector e is a conventionally known mechanical element for ejecting gas ( air ) through an incorporated nozzle and for vacuuming the air by actions of the blowing air , wherein the blowing air is ejected through the incorporated nozzle of the ejector connected to an air - supplying source ( not shown ) through an air - supplying pipe 7 with a regulator r interposed halfway thereof and by supplying air whose amount is adjusted by the regulator r . in the suction tube 1 connected to the ejector e through the air - supplying hose 6 and the connecting tube 14 , ambient air is sucked through the air - intake 13 in accordance with the ejecting air from the ejector e , this sucked air is introduced into the ejector e through the connecting tube 14 and the air - supplying hose 6 and finally exhausted together with the ejecting air through an exhaust hose 8 . the air - intake 13 of the suction tube 11 has its opening in a span from the upper surface to the lower surface of the separating plate 12 such that sucked air as generated in the above manner flows along these upper and lower surfaces of the separating plate 12 before it is sucked by the suction tube 11 . the flow rate of sucked air can be adjusted by the regulator r for adjusting the flow rate of air that is fed through the air - supplying pipe 7 with a predetermined pressure , and this regulator r performs actions of an adjustor for the flow rate of sucked air . if it should be possible to employ an air - suction source such as a suction pump or the like , it is also possible to employ an arrangement in which the air - supplying hose 6 is connected to the vacuum source for making the hose directly perform the air suction . in this case , adjustments in the flow rate of sucked air can be performed directly by adjusting outputs of the vacuum source . in this manner , the tip end portion of the suction tube 11 is located on a front side of the needle drop point placed at an overlapping portion of the needle plate 4 and presser plate 5 when the operational supporting plate 3 is restrained in the operational position as illustrated in fig1 . the separating plate 12 connectedly arranged at the tip end of the suction tube 11 is positioned with a predetermined distance from the upper surface of the cross plate c at the tip end of the sewing bed b so as to be substantially parallel thereto . an action piece 12 a inclining with the tip end facing forward ( frontward when seen from the front side of the sewing machine ) is integrally formed with such a separating plate 12 in an protruding manner as illustrated in fig1 and fig3 two guide tips 15 each with tapered surfaces being formed on both sides in width directions so as to be thin at respective tip ends thereof are attached to both upper and lower surfaces of the acting piece 12 a . therefore , the acting piece 12 a has a predetermined overall thickness but with its thickness decreasing toward the tip end as illustrated in fig2 . a guide lever 16 is disposed in front of the separating plate 12 . this guide lever 16 is attached with its base portion being screw - fastened to a front edge of the fixed plate 10 and is arranged so as to extend somewhat forward along the front edge of the acting piece 12 a at a position just below the lower surface of the separating plate 12 and bent at its intermediate portion in a bridging manner as to extend along the front edge of the cross plate c . in the uncurling device 1 of the above - described arrangement , the upper and lower fabrics w 1 , w 2 that are fed to the needle drop point in the above - described manner are set with the lower fabric w 2 being placed on the guide lever 16 and passed below the separating plate 12 and with the upper fabric w 1 being placed on the separating plate 12 while respective edge hems thereof are made to face the air - intake 13 of the suction tube 11 . when feeding force is applied to the upper and lower fabrics w 1 , w 2 while suction of air is performed by the suction tube 11 , the upper fabric w 1 and lower fabric w 2 are separated to above and below the separating plate 12 respectively while the feeding is proceeding , and they are repeatedly overlapped at a rear side of the separating plate 12 to be pinch - held by the needle plate 4 and the presser plate 5 to be ready for overedge - chain stitching . it should be noted that the separating plate 12 is provided with the action piece 12 a inclining in a forward direction and being decreased in its thickness at its tip end by means of the guide tips 15 , such that separating of the upper fabric w 1 and lower fabric w 2 while the feeding can be favorably performed by these actions . fig5 and fig6 are views for explaining operations of the uncurling device 1 with the tip end portion of the suction tube 11 enlarged . it may be that outside curls as illustrated in fig5 or inside curls as illustrated in fig6 are formed at the edge hems of upper and lower fabrics w 1 , w 2 as set in the above - described manner , and while the fabrics w 1 , w 2 are separated to above and below the separating plate 12 , a flow of sucked air is generated above and below the separating plate 12 that is directed into the air - intake 13 of the suction tube 11 . this flow of sucked air acting over the curls straightens the curls while it is sucked into the air - intake 13 as represented by the two - dot chain line in the drawings . it should be noted that the inside curls at the edge hems of the upper fabric w 1 and lower fabric w 2 as illustrated in fig6 are straightened in an auxiliary manner by being mounted on the guide tips 15 that are attached to both surfaces of the action piece 12 a of the separating plate 12 as to increase in its thickness toward the rear thereof , while an outside curl at the edge hem of the lower fabric w 2 as illustrated in fig5 is straightened in an auxiliary manner by being mounted on the guide lever 16 disposed frontward of the separating plate 12 . it should be noted that while only the guide lever 16 for guiding the lower surface of the lower fabric w 2 is provided in the above - described embodiment , it is also possible to provide another guide lever in front of the separating plate 12 to be provided at a somewhat above the upper surface of the separating plate 12 in a bridging manner for guiding the upper surface of the upper fabric w 1 in a similar fashion . the flow rate of air sucked into the suction tube 11 is suitably adjustable by operating the regulator r , wherein such adjustments may be differently performed depend on the types and thicknesses of the upper and lower fabrics w 1 , w 2 to thereby enabling appropriate uncurling by the actions of sucked air . it should also be noted it is also possible to employ an arrangement in which operations of the regulator r are performed by an appropriate actuator for performing operations in accordance with set values for the types and thicknesses of the fabrics to thus adjust flow rate of sucked air automatically . as this invention may be embodied in several forms without departing from the spirit of essential characteristics thereof , the present embodiment is therefore illustrative and not restrictive , since the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims rather than by the description preceding them , and all changes that fall within metes and bounds of the claims , or equivalences of such metes and bounds thereof are therefore intended to be embraced by the claims .
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in one aspect , the present disclosure relates to a fusion protein comprising a human il - 1 receptor antagonist ( il - 1ra ) and a human immunoglobulin hybrid fc fragment ( hybrid fc ) ( refer to fig1 ). in one embodiment , the il - 1ra of the present disclosure is a whole protein , which is linked to hybrid fc through a linker . in one embodiment , the linker which may be used for the present disclosure includes a synthetic linker , which for example consists of glycine and serine amino acids . in one embodiment , the linker is composed of ggs . the hybrid fc includes from n - terminal to c - terminal , a hinge region , ch2 domain and ch3 domain . in one embodiment , the hinge region includes a region from igd , ch2 domain includes regions derived at least from human igd and igg4 , and ch3 domain include a region derived at least from human igg4 ch3 domain . interleukin - 1 , together with tnf - alpha , acts as a crucial inflammatory mediator in amplifying an inflammatory response in the development of autoimmune inflammatory disease . also il - 1 recruits neutrophils to inflammatory sites and activates macrophages , and activates the growth and differentiation of t and b cells . il - 1 receptor antagonist ( il - 1ra ) is a protein naturally found in body that suppresses the il - 1 activity via competitively binding of il - 1 to its receptor . conventionally , fc derived from igg1 has been used for the generation of fusion protein with il - 1ra . however , as described hereinbefore , it caused adcc ( antibody dependent cell - mediated cytotoxicity ) and cdc ( complement - dependent cytotoxicity ) which may cause safety concern . the fusion protein of the present disclosure contains a hybrid fc which comprises fc region selected from igg4 and igd . the characteristics of the subclasses of igg and igd are described in table 1 below . the hybrid fc of the present disclosure has an favorable conformation resulted from the flexibility of the hinge region derived from igd and also a reduced side effect due to the lack of fc gamma receptor binding region , which acts as a receptor for fc present in neutrophils . igg4 does not have an effector function such as cdc and thus is able to reduce the unwanted immune responses and also shows an increased half - life and stability resulted from the excellent ability to bind fcrn which is related to recycling of proteins in cells . with regard to half - lives in cells , igg1 , igg2 and igg4 have a half - life of 21 days compared to other immunoglobulines which have a relatively short half - life of less than a week . the fusion protein of the present disclosure comprising fc selected from igd and igg4 shows a favorable efficacy in activity and an increased half - life while having a reduced side effect . also the il - 1 receptor antagonist - hybrid fc fusion protein , which was produced in mammalian cells such as cho cells , has a reduced immunogenicity due to glycosylation and absence of abnormal amino acids in contrast to anakinra which are normally produced in escherichia coli . the present disclosure is further explained in more detail with reference to the following examples . these examples , however , should not be interpreted as limiting the scope of the present invention in any manner . for cloning , dna fragment encoding human il - 1ra was codon optimized and synthesized in several fragments as indicated below and combined into a full length hil - 1ra dna by sewing pcr . a dna encoding il - 1 receptor antagonist - hybrid fc fusion protein ( il - 1ra - hyfc ) was generated by pcr - combining dna encoding hybrid fc ( hyfc ) was provided by genexine ( korea ) and dna fragment with hil - 1ra prepared above . for the construction of plasmid , pad15 vector , containing expression cassette for beta - lactamase and dihydrofolate reductase ( dhfr ), was used . both the vector and the dna fragment encoding il1 - ra - hyfc as prepared above were digested with ecori and xbai and purified , which were then ligated to obtain a final construct , il - 1ra - hyfc / pad15 . the ligated product was then transformed into dh5 alpha competent cells and the transformed cells were selected on a plate containing ampicillin . the selected colonies were then used for the dna sequencing analysis for confirmation . [ sequences of regions of il - 1 ra genes synthesized for the construction of plasmid ] the sequences f - 1 to f - 5 encoding part of hil - 1ra indicated as above are disclosed as seq id nos : 1 to 5 , respectively . the entire sequences of final il - 1 ra synthesized are indicated as below , which is disclosed as seq id no : 7 . the amino acid sequence of the present il - 1 receptor antagonist - hybrid fc fusion protein is disclosed as seq id no : 7 . fig2 shows a map of the plasmid il - 1ra - hyfc / pad15 constructed herein having 6610 bps in size . the plasmid constructed in example 1 was transfected into a mammalian cell line cho dg44 to confirm the expression of fusion protein . specifically 4 × 10 5 cho dg44 cells were seeded on to a 6 well culture plate . one day after , culture media was changed with fresh media ( minimum essential medium alpha ). the dna and liposomal mixture , pei ( polyethylenimine ) and expression plasmid , il - 1ra - hyfc / pad15 , were then added into the culture media of cho dg44 cells as prepared above . the culture media were replaced with fresh one , after 12 hours . the cho dg44 cells expressing il1ra - hyfc fusion protein were selected based on the hypoxanthine ( ht ) system . cho dg44 cells transfected with a vector , il1ra - hyfc / pad15 , were screened with media lacking ht at 24 hours after the transfection . the media were replaced with fresh one every 3 - 4 days until colonies were formed , the colonies were picked and transferred into new plates . fig3 is a result of western blot analysis with anti - il1ra antibody to confirm the expression of il1ra - hyfc fusion protein in the selected cells . fig3 shows that the cells selected as above successfully expressed and secreted the protein into media as shown in lane 2 , and 4 . however , the control cells did not produce the protein ( lane 1 , and 3 ). the clones expressing il1ra - hyfc fusion protein were incubated in fresh media for 24 hours , the media of which were then collected and the number of cells was counted . the unit cell production of protein was determined by elisa quantitation kit ( bethyl lab ., inc ., e80 - 104 ). the unit cell productivity of protein ( pg / cell / day ) by was determined dividing the amount of proteins calculated from elisa quantitation by the total number of cells . as indicated in fig4 , the representative cell lines selected based on the ht system as above , expressed the fusion protein with varying productivity ( pg / cell / day ). the proteins expressed were confirmed by western blot with anti - il1ra antibody ( abcam , usa ). the proteins of culture supernatant of the selected clones were separated on 12 % sds - page , then transferred on to the nitrocellulose membrane . the il1ra - hyfc and il1ra protein was detected with anti - il1ra antibody . results are shown in fig5 . the fusion protein , expressed in each of the cell lines , has a molecular weight of about 55 kda . when it was compared to hil - 1ra , its molecular weight has increased 30 kda due to the fusion with the hybrid fc . the supernatant containing il1ra - hyfc fusion protein obtained from suspension cell culture was filtered through a cellulose filter ( pore size 0 . 2 μm ) to remove impurities and the filtrated protein were stored at 4 ° c . or on ice . il1ra - hyfc protein was purified by affinity chromatography . mobile phase was prepared by loading the mabselect sure ( ge ) into column , a type of antibody affinity column resin which is labeled with protein a . first of all , buffer a which is used for equilibrating column and composed of 50 mm nah 2 po 4 ( ph8 . 0 ) and 0 . 1m nacl was prepared . then buffer b for elution of bound proteins under acidic condition was composed of 50 mm nah 2 po 4 ( ph8 . 0 ) and 0 . 1m nacl ( ph3 . 0 ). further , buffer c for elution of proteins that remained after the elution with buffer b was composed of 0 . 5m arginine ( ph3 . 0 ) and 0 . 1m nacl . the last buffer d for cip was composed of 0 . 5n naoh . each line of the chromatography system ( akta purifier , ge healthcare ) was washed with each of buffer a ˜ d as prepared above and then the antibody affinity chromatography column which was loaded with 20 ml of mabselect sure was equipped with the chromatography system , the column was equilibrated with 10 cv ( column volume ). after confirming of the equilibration , the supernatant contained il1ra - hyfc fusion protein was loaded onto the column for purification . the bound proteins were eluted using buffer b and collected as an aliquot of 3 ml . the purified proteins were electrophoresed on a 12 % sds - page ( sodium dodecyl - sulfate poly acrylamide gel electrophoresis under reducing condition and confirmed the bands corresponding to 50 kda . and then the fusion protein was quantitated using bradford protein assay ( fig6 and 7 ). fig6 indicates the chromatogram of the antibody affinity column chromatography as above , and shows that the eluted fusion proteins using buffer b are present in peaks numbered from 30 to 40 . as shown in fig7 a , the purified protein sample was analyzed as quantitative and qualitative using 12 % sds - page . the results show that the purified fusion protein which exists in 50 kda position was obtained almost from eluted peak fraction . the purity was confirmed to be at least 95 %. fig7 b shows that band position of the fusion protein was confirmed in 150 kda by using 12 % sds - page under non reducing condition , due to the dimer formation of the fusion protein through disulfide bonds . protein solution obtained from the antibody affinity column chromatography was prepared in 50 mm tris - hcl ( ph8 . 0 ) using 1m tirs - hcl ( ph8 . 0 ) and incubated at rt for 30 min . then two volumes of 50 mm tris - hcl ( ph8 . 0 ) solution were added to the protein preparation to reduce the nacl concentration for loading onto the anion exchange chromatography column . equilibration buffer a of 50 mm tris - hcl ( ph8 . 0 ) and elution buffer b 50 mm tris - hcl ( ph8 . 0 ) of 1m nacl was added to fill the anion exchange resin ( akta purifier , q hp , ge ) and the protein prepared as above was loaded on the anion exchange column . dimers and multimers of il - 1 receptor antagonist - hybrid fc fusion protein were eluted with buffer b using a nacl concentration gradient . the dimers were present in the peaks eluting around 300 mm of nacl ( fig8 a , peak 1 ) and heterogeneous mixture of dimers and multimers are present in the peaks eluting nacl concentration above 500 mm ( fig8 a , peak 2 ). proteins from peaks 1 and 2 show sds - page analysis under non - reducing condition as shown in fig8 . for mobile phase of hydroxyapatite column ( chttm ceramic hydroxyapatite , bio - rad ), 10 mm na 2 hpo 4 ( ph6 . 5 ) was used as column equilibration buffer , for elution , 10 mm na 2 hpo 4 ( ph6 . 5 ), 2m nacl and 500 mm na 2 hpo 4 ( ph6 . 5 ) were used . dimer fraction from the anion exchange column was diluted with the equilibration buffer in 5 times volume before loaded onto the hydroxyapatite column . a gradient of increasing nacl concentration and na 2 hpo 4 concentration was applied to the column to obtain il - 1 receptor antagonist hybrid fc fusion proteins in a highly purified form . peaks were eluted at each of the nacl concentrations below 1m and 2m , obtain only the peak below 1m nacl was taken for further analysis where the majority of proteins are present in dimer ( fig9 a ). fig9 b shows the result of sds - page analysis of the peaks from the hydroxyapatite column purification under non reducing condition to confirm the proteins contained in each peaks . the purified proteins were quantified using bradford method and concentrated using ultrafiltration . native gel electrophoresis , western blot , isoelectric focusing , and size exclusion hplc ( se - hplc ) were performed to characterize the protein purified as above . results are shown in fig1 to 12 . as shown in fig1 a , in the non - denaturing electrophoresis using 10 % polyacrylamide gel , il1ra - hyfc fusion proteins was confirmed to be present as dimer by the 150 kda band position judged by the molecular weight marker ( ge healthcare , amersham ™ hmw calibration kit for native electrophoresis ). in addition , as shown in fig1 b , il - 1ra - hyfc fusion proteins were confirmed in the western blot analysis using anti - hil - 1ra antibody . theoretical value of isoelectric point of il - 1ra - hyfc fusion protein is 6 . 01 . in the experiment , the value was in the range from pi 5 . 3 to 6 . 0 at the beginning of the purification and became close to the one value as the purification progressed . this indicates the increasing homogeneity in the form . twenty μl of sample was loaded onto a sec hplc column ( g3000swxl , 5 micron , 7 . 8 * 300 , tsk , agilent ) in the mobile phase of 50 mm sodium phosphate ( ph7 . 5 ) and 50 mm nacl . then , a peak was eluted at retention time of 7 . 6 ( purity 99 . 9 %). the peak is indicated the presence of highly purified proteins . to compare the binding affinity of the il1ra - hyfc fusion protein and hil - 1ra fused with fc from igg1 to hil - 1 ri , surface plasmon resonance ( spr ) value was measured using biacore ( ge healthcare ). cm5 chip set up to biacore and then pbs ( phosphate buffered saline , pbs ) was flowed into the cm5 chip . after the confirming that the baseline of the graph remained constant , 1 - ethyl - 3 - dimethylaminopropyl carbodiimide ( edc )/ n - hydroxy succinimide ( nhs ) was add to the chip to activate the amine group . next , the il1ra - hyfc fusion protein or hil - 1ra fused with fc from igg1 was introduced to the chip to fix the proteins via covalent linkage with the activated amine group followed by additional fixation using ethanol amine . then hil - 1ri protein was introduced into the chip to measure the resonance unit ( ru ), which represent the binding affinity . from this results dissociation constant ( kd ) was calculated . as indicated in fig1 , the il1ra - hyfc fusion protein has a dissociation constant of 186 pm in comparison to the control which has a dissociation constant of 1 . 02 nm . the results indicate that the present protein has better affinity than that of the control . to test the effect of the il1ra - hyfc fusion protein on suppressing an immune response , the suppression of t cell proliferation and the secretion of inflammatory cytokines were measured . for the former , peripheral blood mononuclear cells were isolated from blood . after the pbmc was diluted with rpmi - 1640 medium as the concentration of 1 × 10 5 cells / ml , the cells were stimulated with 100 ng / ml of lps ( lipopolysaccharide ) or 1 μg / ml of anti - cd3 antibody for 3 days in the absence or in the presence of various concentrations of the il1ra - hyfc fusion proteins . during the last 18 hours of the stimulation period at day 3 , the cells were incubated in the presence of 1 mci [ 3 h ] thymidine ( nen , boston , ma ., usa ). after the cells were then transferred onto a nitrocellulose membrane followed by washing , the amount of radioactivity remained on the membrane was measured . to measure the amount of inflammatory cytokines secreted , pbmc were isolated from blood . after the pbmc was diluted with rpmi - 1640 medium as the concentration of 1 × 10 6 cells / ml , then the pbmc was stimulated with 100 ng / ml of lps for 48 hours in the absence or presence of the present fusion protein in various concentrations . after 48 hours , the media was collected and the levels of interleukin - 17 , tnf - alpha ( tumor necrosis factor - alpha ), rankl ( receptor activator of nuclear factor k - b ligand ) and vegf ( vascular endothelial growth factor ) were measured using elisa . fig1 presents that the il1ra - hyfc fusion protein suppress the immune response in human t cell or pbmc . as shown in fig1 , when the fusion protein was treated , we confirmed that t cell proliferation was effectively suppressed in the presence of the fusion protein . also the fusion protein was effectively suppressed the inflammatory cytokines and cytokines which is involved in osteoclasia . healthy female balb / c mice in 6 weeks of age were treated with anakinra , a commercially available il - 1 receptor antagonist , or with the present fusion protein each at 5 mg / kg of dosage via intraperitoneal . at 0 , 0 . 05 , 0 . 5 , 2 , 4 , 6 , 8 , 24 , 30 , and 48 hours after the injection , blood samples were collected from each of the mice and the levels of anakinra or the fusion protein were measured using elisa . 100 μl of affinity purified human igg capture antibody ( bethyl laboratories , inc ., a80 - 104a - 6 ) diluted with coating buffer was added to each well of plate and the plate was incubated at rt for 1 hour . then the plate was washed 5 times with tbst ( tris - buffered saline tween - 20 ) and 200 μl of blocking buffer containing 1 % bsa ( bovine serum albumin ) was added to each well . the plate was incubated for 30 min at rt and then washed 5 times with tbst . 100 μl of standard solution in two fold serial dilution from 500 pg / ml to 0 pg / ml or the blood samples appropriately diluted were added to each well and incubated 1 hour at rt . after the incubation , the plate was washed 5 times with tbst and 400 ng / ml of biotin conjugated anti - hil - 1ra polyclonal detection antibody was added to each well and the plate was incubated for 1 hour at 20 - 25 ° c . the plate was then washed 5 times with tbst and incubated with 100 μl of streptavidin hrp conjugated antibody diluted at a ratio of 1 : 50000 for 1 hour at 20 - 25 ° c . then the plate was washed 5 times with tbst and 100 μl of tmb substrate was added to each well and the plate was incubated in the dark for 15 min at rt . the reaction was terminated by adding 100 μl of stop buffer and the absorbance was measured in a plate reader at 450 nm . the concentration of the protein was calculated as ng / ml by multiplying the value obtained from elisa by dilution factor . fig1 presents the pharmacokinetic data using the fusion protein or anakinra which is commercially available in europe . as shown in fig1 , the fusion protein remains longer period of time in the blood than that of anakinra . ( 1 ) blocking of the hil - 1beta signal transduction pathway by the present fusion protein luciferase assay was performed to measure the effect of the fusion protein on blocking the hil - 1beta signal transduction pathway . human il - 1beta activates nfkb by binding to hil - 1 receptor 1 through signal transduction . to confirm that , cells expressing hil - 1 receptor 1 were transfected with a luciferase vector having a nfkb binding site . then the cells treated with hil - 1beta followed by measuring the luciferase expression as the results of nfkb activation . here , the addition of il - 1 ra blocks the luciferase expression by competitive binding to hil - 1 receptor 1 with hil - 1beta . thus the function of the fusion protein in cells was tested on the basis of this scheme . hela cells ( 2 × 10 4 ) were seeded in each well of 48 well plate at 24 hours prior to transfection . next day , the cells were co - transfected with a firefly luciferase plasmid having a nfkb binding site and a renilla luciferase plasmid having cmv promoter which is used to normalize the result . three hours after the transfection , cells were replaced with fresh media and stabilized for 24 hours . the varying concentrations of hil - 1β were treated alone or co - treated with hil - 1ra ( r & amp ; d systems ) or with anti il1 ra - hyfc fusion protein for 6 hours . after that the media was removed and the cells were washed with pbs . after complete removal of pbs , luminescence was measured using dual - luciferase reporter assay system ( promega , e1960 ) according to the manufacturer &# 39 ; s instruction . as shown in fig1 and 17 , media from the cells that were not treated with any protein and treated with hilra alone was used as a negative control , and media from the cells treated with hil - 1β was used as a positive control . fig1 shows that the fusion protein obtained from various cell lines which express the fusion protein exerts comparable or better effect of blocking the signal transduction than that of commercially available hil1ra . also fig1 shows that the blocking effect was increased by using the concentrated media derived from cells expressing the fusion protein . ( 2 ) comparison of blocking effect of anakinra , hil - 1ri - hybrid fc fusion protein and the present fusion protein on the signal transduction via hil - 1β commercially available anakinra protein or hil - 1ri hybrid fc fusion protein which bind to hil - 1β and the present fusion protein was used to compare their effect on suppressing the transduction signaling via hil - 1β . hela cells ( 2 × 10 4 ) were seeded in each well of 48 well plate at 24 hours prior to transfection . next day , the cells were co - transfected with a firefly luciferase plasmid having a nfkb binding site and a renilla luciferase plasmid having cmv promoter which is used to normalize the result . three hours after the transfection , cells were replaced with fresh media and stabilized for 24 hours . the varying concentrations of hil - 1β were treated alone or co - treated with anakinra protein or with hil - 1ri hybrid fc fusion protein which bind to hil - 1β or with the present fusion protein for 6 hours . after that the medium was removed and the cells were washed with pbs . after complete removal of pbs , the luminescence was measured using dual - luciferase reporter assay system ( promega , e1960 ) as instructed . as shown in fig1 and 19 , the results indicate that the present fusion protein has better effect on blocking the signal transduction than that of hil - 1ri hybrid fc control . also fig1 shows that the present fusion protein exerts a better blocking effect compared to that of commercially available hil - 1 ra in cells . the level of il - 8 was measured using elisa to compare the effect of the present fusion protein on inhibiting il - 8 secretion with the effect of anakinra and hil1ra fused to igg1 fc . hela cells ( 2 × 10 4 ) were seeded in each well of 48 well plate at 24 hours prior to transfection . then the hil - 1β were treated alone or co - treated with anakinra or with hil1ra fused to igg1 fc or with the present fusion protein at various concentrations for 24 hours . after the incubation , the media were collected and the amount of il - 8 was measured in each medium using duoset elisa development quantitation kit ( r & amp ; d systems ., inc ., dy208 ) according to the manufacturer &# 39 ; s instruction . 100 μl of coating antibody diluted with coating buffer was added to each well of 96 well plate and the plate was incubated at rt . then the plate was washed 3 times with tbst and 300 μl of blocking buffer containing 1 % bsa was added to each well and the plate was incubated for 1 hour at rt . the plate was then washed 3 times with tbst and 100 μl of standard solution in two fold serial dilution from 500 pg / ml to 0 pg / ml or the diluted sample were added to each well and the plate was incubated for 2 hour at rt . after the incubation , the plate was washed 3 times with tbst and 100 μl of biotin conjugated anti - hil - 8 detection antibody was added to each well and the plate was incubated for 2 hours . the plate was then washed 3 times with tbst and incubated with 100 μl of streptavidin hrp conjugated antibody at a ratio of 1 : 200 for 20 min at rt . then the plate was washed 3 times with tbst and 100 μl of tmb substrate was added to each well and incubated in the dark for 20 min at rt . the reaction was terminated by adding 50 μl of stop solution and the absorbance was measured in a plate reader at 450 nm . the concentration of il - 8 was calculated as ng / ml by multiplying the value obtained from elisa by dilution factor . fig2 and 21 show that the present fusion protein has blocking effect of the il - 8 production , a proinflammatory cytokine , by blocking hil - 1beta in cells . here anakinra and il - 1ra fused to igg1 fc were used for comparison . as shown in fig2 , when co - treated with hil - 1beta the present fusion protein exerted a better blocking activity of il - 8 secretion than that of commercially available anakinra . also fig2 shows that the present fusion protein has better blocking activity than that of the il - 1ra fused to igg1 fc . determination of the effect of the present fusion protein on suppressing arthritis using collagen - induced arthritis mouse model six weeks old dba - 1 mouse was treated with100 mg of bovine type ii collagen ( cii ) and complete freund &# 39 ; s adjuvant ( cfa ) ( arthrogen - cia , redmond , wash ., usa ) by subcutaneous injection into the part of the tail for inducing arthritis . after 2 weeks , 100 mg cii and incomplete freund &# 39 ; s adjuvant ( difco , detroit , mich .) were injected into the hind limb . to test the effect of anakinra and the present hil1ra - hyfc fusion protein on progressing arthritis , from the second week after the first collagen injection , the mice was treated with various concentrations of anakinra or the present hil1ra - hyfc fusion protein every other day for 4 weeks by peritoneal injection . to evaluation of the effect on arthritis two independent persons performed the evaluation 3 times a week for 7 weeks after the first injection on the four limbs . the evaluation was rated on a scale of 0 - 4 and the averaged values were used . fig2 shows the effect of the present fusion protein on the arthritis in a collagen induced arthritis mouse model . here negative control mouse was not treated with the protein and the positive control mouse was treated with il - 1ra , anakinra . as shown in fig2 ( a ) and ( b ), the present fusion protein successfully suppressed the development of arthritis at the lower concentration than that of hil - 1ra . the various singular / plural permutations may be expressly set forth herein for sake of clarity . although a few embodiments of the present disclosure have been shown and described , it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in this embodiment without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention , the scope of which is defined in the claims and their equivalents .
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preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings . as used herein “ flow rate ” means volumetric flow rate . particle size , expressed in microns , should be understood as aerodynamic diameter , as conventionally used in the art . fig1 shows a preferred embodiment as including a pm10 separating device 10 , an acceleration tube 12 , a collection tube 14 and a housing 16 surrounding the acceleration tube 12 and collection tube 14 . the housing 16 has a side - wall nozzle 18 through which a major portion of the sampled ambient air is drawn by a large volume suction device , e . g ., the suction side of an air pump 20 with volumetric flow control . the fine particle cut 22 , i . e ., 2 - 3 microns and smaller , is separated and collected in a fine particulate collector , e . g ., filter and filter holder 24 . a small volume suction device , e . g ., the inlet side of air pump 26 with volumetric flow control , draws a minor portion of the sampled ambient air , containing coarse fraction 28 of the particulate matter , through the collection nozzle 14 , whereby the coarse fraction 28 is separated and collected by a coarse particulate collector , e . g ., filter and filter housing 30 . the separating device 10 is preferably a high volume pm10 which removes particulates larger than 10 microns , such as one of models te - 6070 , te - 6070d , te - 6070v and te - 6070dv marketed by tisch environmental , inc . fig2 shows design details , inclusive of features important in the context of the intended manner of operation . as seen in fig2 , the acceleration tube 12 includes an inlet straight cylinder section 32 of constant inside diameter d 7 , a conical section 33 , and an outlet straight cylinder section 34 of constant inside diameter d 1 , all integrally joined . the inlet straight cylinder section 32 connects to the tisch pm10 separating device 10 at an angle α and connects to the conical section 33 at an angle 6 . the conical section 33 connects at its downstream ( smaller ) end to the outlet straight cylinder section 34 at an angle β . angles α , β and δ are preferably 45 ° or less , more preferably 20 - 45 °, to minimize turbulence and thereby provide a more precise cut point , preferably at pm2 . 5 , to better enable determination of compliance with the aforementioned u . s . e . p . a . standard . the collection tube 14 includes an inlet straight cylinder section 35 with a constant inside diameter ( i . d .) d 2 , and joined thereto at an angle α 1 , a conical section 36 . the conical section 36 tapers from i . d . d 2 to i . d . d 3 where it is joined to a coarse particulate collector , which in the embodiment depicted in fig1 and 2 is shown as filter 30 . as shown in fig2 the collection tube 35 is axially - aligned with the acceleration tube 33 , along a central axis 40 . the angle α 1 is not critical but is suitably 20 - 45 °, preferably approximately 45 °. while the particulate collectors 24 and 30 have been described as filters , any suitable conventional collector , e . g ., an electroprecipitator , could be used . the experiments described here employed a pm10 inlet commercially available from tisch ( pm10 hi - vol sampler , tisch environmental , cleaveland , ohio ), followed by a single round nozzle virtual impactor in the form of an acceleration tube 12 axially aligned with a collection tube 14 as shown in fig2 . the virtual impactor was operated with an intake flow rate of 1000 liters / minute ( lpm ). particles smaller than 10 μm in aerodynamic diameter were drawn through the virtual impactor and accelerated in passage through acceleration tube 12 , which was designed to have a theoretical 50 % cut point at about 2 . 5 μm for an intake flow rate of 1000 lpm . the acceleration nozzle jet was 1 . 4 cm in diameter ( i . d . )( d 1 = 1 . 4 cm ), whereas the collection nozzle was 2 cm in i . d . ( d 2 = 2 cm ). the two nozzles were separated by a gap of 2 cm ( d 4 ). the diameter of the cylindrical housing 16 ( d 5 ) was 10 cm . the straight cylinder inlet section 32 had an i . d . ( d 7 ) of 5 cm and a length ( d 6 ) of 5 cm ( d 6 can be up to 20 cm ). the conical section 33 had a length d 8 of 4 . 5 cm and the outlet straight cylinder section 34 had a length d 9 of 1 . 5 cm . the side - wall nozzle 18 had an i . d . ( d 10 ) of 5 cm and was aligned on a nozzle axis 42 intersecting central axis 40 at an angle of approximately 90 °. side - wall nozzle 18 was connected to an inlet 46 ( i . d . 5 cm ) and 45 ° plenum 47 of filter housing 24 . d 11 was 1 . 5 cm . for the collection tube 14 the inlet straight cylinder section extended 5 cm from support 44 ( d 12 = 5 cm ) and the conical section 36 extended therefrom at a 45 ° angle to join to the inlet side of filter housing 30 . the 50 % cut point can be estimated from the stokes number , st , defined as ( hinds , 1999 ): st = ρ p u i d p 2 c c 9 μ d 0 ( 1 ) where d p , ρ p , c c are the particle diameter , density and slip correction , μ is the air viscosity ( 1 . 81 × 10 − 4 g / cm · sec ), u i is the velocity through the acceleration jet , and d 0 is the inside diameter of the acceleration nozzle ( d 0 = d 1 = 1 . 4 cm ). the st corresponding to 10 μm particles is 0 . 30 , based on the nozzle dimensions and the flow rate , which is close to the value typically corresponding to the 50 % cut point of round - nozzle impactors ( marple and liu , 1974 ). coarse - mode particles ( 2 . 5 - 10 μm ) travel in an approximately straight path ( 28 in fig1 ) due to their inertia , cross the deflected air streamlines ( 22 in fig1 ) and are drawn through the collection nozzle 18 ( minor flow ). particles smaller than the cut point of the virtual impactor ( here 2 . 5μ ) are diverted along the major flow path 28 . the minor flow rate can vary from 3 - 10 % of the intake flow rate , depending on desired exposure concentration level and / or exposure flow rate needed . the pressure drop across the major flow path of the virtual impactor was 40 inches h 2 o . the performance of the apparatus shown in fig1 and 2 and its components were tested using a variety of different technologies and ambient aerosols . several continuous and semi - continuous particle measurement instruments were used to measure aerosol characteristics before and after enrichment . first , concentration enrichment as a function of particle size was determined by measuring the concentrations upstream and downstream of the virtual impactor by means of the tsi aerodynamic particle sizer ( aps tsi model 3320 ). tests were conducted at minor flow rates of 40 and 60 lpm , and the concentration enrichment factors , plotted in fig3 and 4 , were based on averages of repeated tests . for each configuration , at least 10 measurements upstream and downstream of the virtual impactor were taken . following the aps characterization , the sampler was evaluated in collocation with a modified micro - orifice uniform deposit impactor ( moudi , msp corporation , minneapolis , minn .) and a r & amp ; p partisol dichotomous sampler at the facilities of the university of southern california , in downtown los angeles in the field tests , the coarse speciation sampler operated at a total flow rate of 1 , 000 lpm and with a minor flow rate adjusted to 100 lpm . the ideal enrichment factor corresponding to this minor - to - total flow ratio would thus be 10 . the 100 lpm of minor flow were drawn into 90 mm filters 30 ( 2 μm , ptfe , gelman , ann arbor , mich .) whereas the 900 lpm of the major flow were drawn through 8 × 10 teflon coated glass fibre filters 24 ( 2 μm , ptfe , gelman , ann arbor , mich .). the moudi sampled at 30 lpm and was modified ( from its original 8 - stage configuration ) to include only 2 stages , collecting size - segregated particles in aerodynamic diameter ranges of 0 - 2 . 5 and 2 . 5 - 10 , respectively . 4 . 7 cm ptfe filters were used as impaction substrates in coarse pm moudi stages . the partisol sampled at 16 . 7 lpm total flow , of which 1 . 67 lpm and 15 lpm were diverted into 47 mm teflon filters for the minor and major flow collections , respectively . particle mass , sulfate , nitrate concentrations , as well as concentrations of trace elements and metals were determined for both ambient and concentrated aerosols measured by the three samplers . only mass measurements were conducted for the moudi , whereas mass , inorganic on and trace element concentrations were determined for both the coarse pm speciation sampler and the partisol . the sampling periods varied from 3 to 12 hours depending on the observed pm level . to determine particle mass concentrations , the ptfe filters of the moudi , partisol and tisch samplers were pre - weighed and post - weighed using a microbalance ( mt 5 , mettler - toledo inc ., highstown , n . j . ; sartorius microbalance mc - 5 , sartorius ag , goettingen , germany ) in a room with controlled temperature of 21 - 24 ° c . and relative humidity of 40 - 50 %. filters were weighed twice in order to increase precision . in case of a difference of more than 3 μg between consecutive weighings , the filter was weighed a third time or reweighed until two consecutive weighings differed by less than 3 μg . fifteen out of 21 pairs of ptfe filter samples collected by the tisch and partisol samplers were then analyzed by means of x - ray fluorescence ( xrf ) to determine concentrations of selected elements and metals . the remaining 6 pairs of coarse , as well as fine pm samples , were extracted with 0 . 15 ml of ethanol and 5 ml of ultrapure water . ethanol was used in order to wet the hydrophobic teflon filter . the samples were sonicated for 15 minutes and analyzed for sulfate and nitrate ions by means of ion chromatography ( ic ). samples that were lower than three times the lower limits of detection ( lad ) of either xrf or ic were excluded . coarse pm mass concentration data determined by tisch , moudi and partisol are shown in table 1 . in all subsequent tables and figures , the coarse particle concentration are in μg / m 3 and have been normalized to the intake flows of the tisch , moud i and partisol samplers , i . e ., at 1000 , 30 and 16 . 7 lpm , and not to the minor flows of the virtual impactors for the tisch and partisol . very good overall agreement can be seen among the three samplers , with the somewhat lower concentrations measured by tisch ( by roughly 10 %) being probably due to cutpoint differences between its virtual impactors and those of the moudi and partisol . the results of comparing coarse particulate nitrate and sulfate concentations collected by the tisch and partisol are shown in fig5 and 6 and tables 2 - 3 . the sulphate - based concentrations for both pm2 . 5 and coarse pm agree quite well , with the slightly smaller coarse pm measured by the tisch again being due to cutpoint differences , as sulfate and nitrate in los angeles have a significant mass fraction ( i . e ., 30 - 40 %) in the 1 - 3 μm range ( geller et al . 2004 ). hence , a small cutpoint difference may result in substantial differences in the concentrations measured by the 2 samplers . the pm10 concentrations also agree well between the two samplers , whereas for nitrate the coarse concentrations measured by the tisch appear to be smaller by about 30 %. the higher pm2 . 5 nitrate concentrations and the overall good agreement based on pm10 nitrate suggest that some of that difference may be due to cutpoint differences . however , it is likely that some of it may be related to higher losses of nitrate by volatilization in the tisch sampler . this is because the filter face velocity in the coarse pm collector of the tisch sampler is more than one order of magnitude higher compared to that of the partisol . the tisch and partisol comparison based on coarse pm concentrations of trace elements and metals is shown in fig7 and summarized in table 4 . the following metals and elements were selected based on their relative high amounts in the coarse mode relative to the fine mode pm : al , si , ca , k , fe , cu , and na . other elements were detected in the tisch but not the partisol sampler , given its much lower sampling flow rate , thus comparisons cannot be made for these elements based on insufficient data points . as in the previous cases where we report mass , sulfate and nitrate concentrations , the coarse pm concentrations of tisch and partisol are normalized to the intake flow of the samplers and not to the minor flows . the much higher ( i . e ., close to 1 ) tisch - partisol ratios obtained for the seven trace elements and metals indicate an overall excellent agreement between the two samplers for coarse pm . the overall correlation coefficient between the tisch - partisol data was r 2 = 0 . 89 as shown in fig7 , thereby indicating a high degree of correlation between the trace element and metal concentrations obtained with these two samplers . the much better agreement observed for these species compared to coarse pm nitrate ( and to a lesser extent sulfate ) is very likely due to the larger size distribution of these metals within the coarse mode compared to nitrate and sulphate . in that case , small differences in the cutpoints of the tisch and partisol virtual impactors would not result in substantial difference in the coarse mode measurements of species that are partitioned in sizes that are appreciably larger ( i . e ., & gt ; 3 μm ) than the cutpoints of the two samplers . the fact that these elements are also non - labile species , thus not prone to sampling artifacts related to losses of volatile compounds , further contributes to better agreement between tisch and partisol . the invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof . the present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive , the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description , and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein .
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referring initially to fig1 there is shown a catamaran 1 with a main body 2 suspended above the independently moveable hulls 3 . the gunnels on the near side are omitted to fully expose the cabin 4 and the hull locating arrangement for the visible hull . the hull locating arrangement comprises a back hull locating linkage 6 and a front hull locating linkage 7 . the front locating linkage shown includes a leading arm 8 rotatably connected to the body 2 by pivot 9 such as bearings or bushings and rotatably connected to the hull 3 by pivot 10 . this provides lateral , longitudinal and roll constraints to the motion of the hull relative to the body . although it can also provide a yaw constraint , the use of a second lateral constraint at a longitudinally spaced position ( i . e . the back locating linkage ) generally provides most of the yaw reaction . a front support means 11 ( such as a spring damper unit or one or more hydraulic cylinders ) is provided , packaged inside a suspension tower 12 which can be located in the gunnels or in the cabin structure for example . the front support means is connected to the body by pivot 13 and to the leading arm by pivot 14 . the distance of the connection point 14 of the front support cylinder 11 along the leading arm determines a mechanical advantage on the support cylinder and can be used for many beneficial reasons such as to reduce the total length of the cylinder ( or other support means ) to reduce the height of the suspension tower 12 and to improve the ratio of buckling strength versus weight of the cylinder 11 . fig2 shows the back hull locating linkage 6 in more detail with the body omitted for clarity . although in the figures the back hull locating linkage is shown substantially vertical with respect to the body at ride height , the linkage can be inclined to suit the packaging of the vessel , however this increases any longitudinal component of the rear support force acting on both the body and the hull and resolved through the leading arm . this rear locating linkage 6 is variable in length between the body pivot 21 and the hull pivot 22 and as shown in fig2 includes a sliding frame made up of two laterally spaced sliding members 24 and 25 . the sliding members are shown as cylindrical devices , but as the upper and lower pivots 21 and 22 reduce or remove the bending moment about laterally extending axes ( such as the pivot axes of the pivots ) the sliding members can be wider in section in a lateral direction than in a longitudinal direction . each sliding member has two parts , one of which slides inside the other telescopically . the outer part 26 is shown connected to the body and the inner part connected to the hull although the frame can be used inverted so that the inner part 27 is connected to the body . preferably bushings or bearings are used in pairs between the inner and outer parts of the sliding frame . for ease of maintenance these can be split shell bushes in the outer parts , although using a bush or bearing in the opposite end of each part from the pivots improves bearing spacing which can be beneficial . as with the front hull locating linkage , one or more support means is used to provide support to the vessel body . in fig2 the back support means is two hydraulic cylinders 28 and 29 which are connected either directly between the body and the hull or indirectly by being connected between the inner and outer parts of the sliding frame . the support means may comprise a supporting spring and a damper such as a hydraulic or pneumatic support cylinder and a shock absorber , or part of an interconnected suspension system such as those shown in the applicant &# 39 ; s previously mentioned international patent applications , details of which are incorporated herein by reference . the stroke of the suspension system ( the vertical travel of the hull relative to the body ) together with the lack of mechanical advantage ( or lever ratio ) of the back hull locating linkage 6 and back support cylinders 28 and 29 can require the top of the linkage to be housed above the deck of the body , such as in a suspension tower 30 which is preferably tied or integrated into the gunnels or the cabin or other superstructure as shown in fig1 . alternatively or additionally the lower ends of the sliding frame and support means can be recessed into wells 34 or cut - outs in the hulls as shown in fig2 . such a well can be sealed from the buoyant volume of the hull and to prevent water from collecting in the well 34 a vent 35 or other means of drainage can be provided as shown . alternatively , the support means such as cylinders 28 and 29 can be located in one or more of the sliding members 24 and 25 , in which case it is possible to use a single sliding member which penetrates the hull and is sealed by a flexible membrane between the sliding member and the hull . a large stroke of the variable length arm arrangement with no mechanical advantage as shown in the rear linkage can require the support cylinders to be larger than hydraulically necessary to avoid the mechanical risk of buckling . this is particularly necessary when the cylinders are free to rotate at both ends , so a more efficient solution is to fix the ends of the cylinders to the outer and inner parts of the sliding frame . in this case alignment is especially important , so preferably the force of each support cylinder 28 , 29 is aligned with a plane defined by the sliding axes of the laterally spaced sliding members 24 , 25 as shown in fig2 . preferably the outer parts 26 of sliding members 24 and 25 are laterally connected by a beam 41 as shown in fig3 and the inner parts 27 are connected by a beam 42 to improve the rigidity of the sliding frame and reduce variations in alignment of the inner and outer parts . the operation and life of the sliding frame can be improved by minimising such misalignment and by minimising the side load on the bearings between the inner and outer parts through keeping the line of action of the total force from the support means as close to the pivot axes of the sliding frame as possible . where the width of the back hull locating linkage is limited and two support cylinders are used , the support cylinders can be positioned on either side of the plane defined by the axes of the two sliding members as shown in fig3 . as discussed with respect to fig2 , the support cylinders of the arrangement shown in fig3 can be rigidly fixed between the inner and outer parts of the sliding frame even when the support cylinders are not in line with the sliding members , as long as the axes of both cylinders and both sliding members are parallel . fig4 to 7 show the range of displacements possible between the hulls and the body . the suspension is fully compressed in fig4 and fully extended in fig5 . in fig6 the suspension is in a full pitch in the hull nose up direction and similarly in fig7 hull nose down full pitch travel is shown . when the left and right hulls of the catamaran pitch in opposite directions , a warp mode ( not shown ) is possible . in fig8 , the inner 27 and outer 26 parts of the laterally spaced sliding members 24 and 25 are not concentric . a lower - mid beam 43 braces between the lower ends of the outer parts 26 and locates bushings 46 around the inner parts 27 . similarly an upper - mid beam 44 braces between the upper ends of the inner parts 27 and locates bushings 45 around the outer parts 26 . this arrangement can increase the torsional rigidity of the sliding members by forming an upper frame and a lower frame and can improve serviceability by placing all the bushings in more easily accessible locations . the upper ( or outer ) frame comprises the outer parts 26 , the lower - mid beam 43 and the upper beam 41 between the tops of the outer members . the lower ( or inner ) frame comprises the inner parts 27 , the upper - mid beam 44 and the lower beam 42 between the bottoms of the inner members . as with the arrangement shown in fig3 , the support rams 28 and 29 can be mounted directly between the upper beam 41 and the lower beam 42 in any arrangement desired such as the longitudinal spacing shown in fig3 or the lateral spacing shown in fig8 . fig9 to 11 show another preferred arrangement of sliding linkage , again shown towards the back of the hull as a back hull locating linkage ( although again it could be used towards the front of the hull if desired ). the lower end is again shown recessed into a well 34 in the hull in fig9 . the laterally spaced sliding members ( 24 , 25 ) are now nesting u - section beams in place of the concentric tubes shown in fig2 and 3 or the pairs of adjacent tubes shown in fig8 . the outer parts 26 of each sliding member are fixed to each other by the top beam 41 , plus a lower brace 47 and two diagonal braces 48 on each side ( ie front and back ) forming an outer frame 49 . the pivots ( bushings or bearings ) 21 between the outer frame and the body form the body end pivot axis . the hull end pivot axis is formed by bushings or bearings between the inner parts 27 and the mount brackets 40 . in fig9 the sliding linkage is shown in the compressed position with part of the hull shown , but the body omitted for clarity . cover plates 50 are shown between the outer parts 26 and fill much of the rectangular outer frame which they contribute to forming . the cover plates 50 can be used to add stiffness to the rectangular outer frame in place of or in addition to the diagonal braces 48 and / or as shields to simply to protect the hydraulic components from direct exposure to the elements and / or to provide a barrier to deflect water flowing over the top of the hull ( for example to provide some protection of an engine air intake if the engine is located in or on the back of the hull ). additionally or alternatively , similar cover plates can be provided between the inner parts 27 to fill some or all of the rectangular frame they form . in fig1 and 11 the locating linkage is shown in the fully extended position , with the hull omitted for clarity and the cover plates omitted to reveal the support rams 28 and 29 and an optional compression stop tube 55 and compression stop resilient elements 56 . while it is possible to package compression and rebound travel limit stops within the u - shaped vertical beams of the inner and outer frames , it can be more space efficient to package one or both functions separately . the inner parts 27 of each sliding member are fixed to each other by the lower beam 42 , plus mid brace 58 and diagonal braces 59 forming an inner frame 60 . bearing covers 61 on the outer frame 49 shield roller bearings 62 visible in the sectional view of fig1 . the roller bearings 62 are mounted to the outer frame 49 and bear on the inner frame 60 ( or a bearing surface fixed to the inner frame ). similarly roller bearings 64 are mounted to the inner frame and bear on the outer frame 49 ( or a bearing surface fixed thereto ). the roller bearings 62 and 64 resolve lateral and roll forces between the hull and the body . similarly roller bearings are provided on the front and back of the inner and outer frames ( such as under bearing covers 65 on the outer frame ) to resolve bending loads in the locating linkage in a plane perpendicular to the pivot axes of the linkage pivots 21 and 22 . alternatively , some or all of the roller bearings forming the sliding mechanism between the inner and outer frames can be replaced by sliding bearings and any or all can be adjustable to ensure correct alignment and correct for wear . in the example shown in fig1 , the joints 70 connecting the cylinder portions 71 of each of the rams 28 and 29 to the top beam 41 are shown as a pair of annular bushings 73 around a pin 72 . in each case one bushing is between the top of the cylinder body and the top beam , the other bushing is between the top beam and a washer held on the pin by a nut . the lower ends of the rams ( ie the rod ends 77 on the ends of rods 78 ) can be connected to part of the inner frame such as the lower beam 42 or to mounts adjacent to the frame mounts 79 . the mounting axis of the rod ends 77 does not need to be aligned with the joint axis of the frame mounts 40 which form the hull pivots 22 . if the braces 58 and 59 are omitted from one side of the lower frame as shown , then support brackets can be added between the lower brace 47 on the outer frame and the lower ends of the cylinder portions 71 to prevent or limit relative motion and protect against buckling of the rams 28 and 29 . the cross - section of fig1 ( cut through the locating linkage of fig1 ) is cut through the pivot axes of the body pivots 21 and the hull pivots 22 , the locating linkage being substantially symmetrical about this plane . the centre - lines of the rams 28 and 29 also lie in this plane and the roller bearings are symmetrical about this plane , ie if the sliding axes of the sliding mechanism between the inner and outer frames are assumed to be though the centroid axes of the outer and / or inner u - shaped beams 26 , 27 , then in the illustrated example the rams are parallel with the sliding axes and lie in the same plane as the sliding axes and the pivot axes . the inner and outer frames can be complex to manufacture to suitable bearing tolerances ( due to distortion if welded together for example ) and it can be difficult to machine the desired surfaces to the correct tolerances once the frames are assembled , so fig1 and 13 show a modified construction of the arrangement from fig9 to 11 whereby the bearings and planar running surfaces of the inner and outer frames are replaced by rods and cylindrical bushings . the arrangement combines elements of the arrangements from fig2 and fig9 to 11 with additional modifications . a pair of rods or tubes 85 are positioned in each side of the inner frame 60 , between pairs of side beams 89 . each pair of rods is fixed to an upper plate 87 at their top end and to a lower plate at their lower end . the upper plates 87 are fixed to the upper ends of the side beams 89 . the lower plates 88 are fixed to the lower beams 42 on the front and back of the frame . the front and back of the inner frame each include a lower beam 42 , an upper beam 57 , two side beams 89 and two diagonal braces 59 and these components can be fixed together into a front and a back assembly prior to mounting of the running surfaces ( of the rods ). the advantage of this construction is that the alignment of each rod in a pair of rods is easily achieved by the machining of the plates 87 and 88 and that the alignment of the two pairs of rods within the inner frame can be assured through the fixing of the plates to the front and back assemblies of the inner frame after the front and back assemblies have been welded or otherwise fixed together . bearing or bushing blocks 90 can be fixed to the u - shaped beams of the outer frame 49 after the outer frame has been assembled . the outer frame can include additional bracing as shown in fig9 to 11 . the outer and / or inner frames can again include covers to brace between the beams of the frames and provide protection and water deflection as previously discussed . the bearing or bushing blocks 90 preferably utilise sliding bushing material sleeves such as ptfe coated shells and can be split to allow replacement of the sliding bushings . providing the bushings for both adjacent rods of a pair in a single block 90 ( or split block that fits around both rods ) again allows for the blocks to be machined accurately prior to fitting to the outer frame . each pair of rods 85 with the upper and lower bushing blocks 90 tied together by the u - shaped beams 26 of the outer frame are similar in function to the outer parts 26 and inner parts 27 of the laterally spaced sliding members 24 and 25 in fig2 , so each pair of rods and bushing blocks could be referred to as one of the laterally spaced sliding members . although not shown , compression stops can be provided in the locating linkage , for example , by placing resilient stops inside the top corners of the outer frame attached to the u - shaped beams 26 and 41 . such stops can act on the upper plates 87 for the rods or on brackets attached to the upper plates . alternatively the compression stops between the inner and outer frames can be attached to the upper plates 87 of the inner frame and act on the top beam 41 of the outer frame . the upper plates 87 can be stepped to allow the compression stops to be packaged adjacent to the rods 85 to reduce the dead length in the locating linkage . similarly rebound stops ( not shown ) can be provided , for example on brackets attached to the u - shaped beams 26 of the outer frame just above the upper of the bushing blocks 90 , to contact the underside of the upper plates 87 of the inner frame . the cross - section of fig1 ( cut through the locating linkage of fig1 ) is cut through the pivot axes of the body and hull pivots ( not shown ) in a similar manner to fig1 and again the locating linkage is substantially symmetrical about this plane and as is preferable , the centre - lines of the rams 28 and 29 also lie in this plane . if the sliding axes of the sliding mechanism between the inner and outer frames are defined as being half way between the primary axis of each rod 85 in a pair forming part of the laterally spaced sliding members 24 and 25 , then in the illustrated example the rams are parallel with and lie in the same plane as the sliding axes . the arrangements shown in fig9 to 13 provide lower forces in the bearings of the sliding mechanism than offsetting the centre lines of the rams from the plane through the pivot axes of body and hull pivots 21 and 22 . fig1 shows a diagrammatic side view of the arrangement of fig9 to 11 . however in any arrangement of the present invention it can be beneficial to maintain a small load on at least some of the bearings in one direction around the static equilibrium point of the vessel at ride height . to this end the centre - line 91 of the rams ( and therefore , when the end joints are positioned on the centre - line to minimise bending loads in the rams , the line of action of the rams ) can be angled slightly relative to the plane 92 through the pivot axes of body and hull pivots 21 and 22 as shown in fig1 . the angle ( as shown by the arrow 93 ) can be up to 30 degrees at mid stroke or ride height , but is preferably less , for example 20 degrees , 10 degrees , 5 degrees or as in fig1 substantially zero . where the plane through the pivot axes of the body and hull pivots is significantly inclined ( and it can be up to 40 degrees from perpendicular to the body ) the angle of the ram line of action is preferably not greater than another 15 degrees in the same direction , but can be up to 30 degrees back towards perpendicular to the body . the rods 78 can be joined to the lower frame by joints 77 at any position on the inner frame , but preferably near the lower beam 42 as shown . the cylinder portions of the rams can be joined to the body ( not shown ) or to a bracket or other structure attached to or forming part of the outer frame 49 as illustrated . alternatively or additionally , to maintain a small load on at least some of the bearings in one direction around the static equilibrium point of the vessel at ride height , the line of action or centre - line 91 of the rams can be offset from the plane 92 through the pivot axes of body and hull pivots 21 and 22 as shown by the arrow 94 in fig1 . the offset 94 is preferably less than 5 percent of the length of the hull , but can be up to 10 percent of the length of the hull where the hull is relatively short ( compared to the length of the vessel , as for example in the case of a hull on a quadmaran ). offsets between zero and 5 percent of the length of the hull are also beneficial , for example 1 percent or 2 percent of the length of the hull . alternatively or additionally the offset 94 is preferably less than 25 percent of the distance between the pivot axes of body and hull pivots 21 and 22 when the locating linkage is at mid stroke or ride height . again offsets between zero and 25 percent of the distance between the pivot axes of body and hull pivots 21 and 22 when the locating linkage is at mid stroke or ride height can be beneficial , such as 5 and 10 percent . even if the line of action or centre - line 91 of the rams is angled or offset from the plane through the sliding axes and / or from the plane through the body and hull pivots 21 and 22 , preferably the rams are packaged within the arrangement of inner and outer frames . the advantages of this are many , including : frames can be braced and covered to shield the rams from direct exposure to the elements and direct water flowing over the hulls away from engine components ; low bending loads in the locating linkage , reducing required weight ; single load path ( in side view ) for the locating linkage so suspension geometry loads and support loads all flow through the same reinforced points on the body or the hulls ; packing of the suspension geometry and support components in the same area , minimising the number of intrusions into the body or hulls ; and low preload forces on the bearings or bushings of the sliding mechanism between the inner and outer frames , allowing a low running friction of the mechanism allowing the locating linkage to vary in length . it should be understood that the sliding arm can be applied to different geometries of hull locating arrangement . for example , the sliding arm can be used in the front locating linkage and a trailing arm could then be used in the rear locating linkage . alternatively the front leading arm could be replaced with a trailing arm or other suspension geometry . another alternative for example is to use a pair of sliding arms , one being substantially vertical relative to the body and using a body mount with substantially no rotation so that the vertical sliding arm provides longitudinal location of the hull , the other sliding arm remaining pivoted to the body to permit pitch motions of the hull relative to the body . hydraulic rams 28 , 29 have been shown in the figures to support the body of the vessel , but other forms of linear actuator and / or spring could be used . for example a coil or air spring can be used with a linear damper ( or shock absorber ) and the spring seat can even be adjusted as is known in automotive suspension systems to adjust for example the roll attitude of the body above the hulls . modifications and variations as would be apparent to a skilled addressee are deemed to be within the scope of the present invention .
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a preferred embodiment of the present invention and variations thereon will be described in detail with reference to the drawings , in which like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout . we start by describing a baseline clustered processor model that has been commonly used in earlier studies . such a model is shown in fig1 as 100 , with four clusters 102 ( individually designated 102 - 1 , 102 - 2 , 102 - 3 , and 102 - 4 ). upstream from the four clusters 102 are an instruction cache 104 , a branch predictor 106 , an instruction fetch cache 108 , a steering register rename unit 110 , and a reorder buffer 112 . within each cluster 102 are an issue queue 114 , a register file 116 , and functional units 118 . downstream from the clusters 102 are a load / store queue ( lsq ) 120 and a data cache 122 . the branch predictor 106 and instruction cache 104 are centralized structures , just as in a conventional processor . at the time of register renaming in the steering register rename unit 110 , each instruction gets assigned to a specific cluster . each cluster 102 has its own issue queue 114 , register file 116 , a set of functional units 118 , and its own local bypass network . bypassing of results within a cluster does not take additional cycles ( in other words , dependent instructions in the same cluster can issue in successive cycles ). however , if the consuming instruction is not in the same cluster as the producer , it has to wait additional cycles until the result is communicated across the two clusters . a conventional clustered processor distributes only the register file 116 , issue queue 114 , and the functional units 118 among the clusters 102 . the data cache 122 is centrally located . an alternative organization distributes the cache among the clusters , thereby making the design more scalable , but also increasing the implementation complexity . since both organizations are attractive design options , we evaluate the effect of dynamic tuning on both organizations . in the traditional clustered designs , once loads and stores are ready , they are inserted into a centralized load - store queue ( lsq ) 120 . from here , stores are sent to the centralized l1 cache when they commit and loads are issued when they are known to not conflict with earlier stores . the lsq is centralized because a load in any cluster could conflict with an earlier store from any of the other clusters . for the aggressive processor models that we are studying , the cache has to service a number of requests every cycle . an efficient way to implement a high bandwidth cache is to make it word - interleaved . for a 4 - way word - interleaved cache , the data array is split into four banks and each bank can service one request every cycle . data with word addresses of the form 4n are stored in bank 0 , of the form 4n + 1 are stored in bank 1 , and so on . such an organization supports a maximum bandwidth of four and helps minimize conflicts to a bank . in a processor with a centralized cache , the load latency depends on the distance between the centralized cache and the cluster issuing the load . in our study , we assume that the centralized lsq and cache are co - located with cluster 102 - 1 . hence , a load issuing from cluster 102 - 1 does not experience any communication cost . a load issuing from cluster 102 - 2 takes one cycle to send the address to the lsq and cache and another cycle to get the data back ( assuming that each hop between clusters takes a cycle ). similarly , cluster 102 - 3 experiences a total communication cost of four cycles for each load . this is in addition to the few cycles required to perform the cache ram look - up . steering heuristics will now be discussed . a clustered design allows a faster clock , but incurs a noticeable ipc degradation because of inter - cluster communication and load imbalance . minimizing these penalties with smart instruction steering has been the focus of many recent studies . we use an effective steering heuristic that steers an instruction ( and its destination register ) to the cluster that produces most of its operands . in the event of a tie or under circumstances where an imbalance in issue queue occupancy is seen , instructions are steered to the least loaded cluster . by picking an appropriate threshold to detect load imbalance , such an algorithm can also approximate other proposed steering heuristics like mod_n and first_fit . the former minimizes load imbalance by steering n instructions to one cluster , then steering to its neighbor . the latter minimizes communication by filling up one cluster before steering instructions to its neighbor . we empirically determined the optimal threshold value for load balance . further , our steering heuristic also uses a criticality predictor to give a higher priority to the cluster that produces the critical source operand . thus , our heuristic represents the state - of - the - art in steering mechanisms . in a highly clustered processor , the centralized cache can be a major bottleneck , as it has to support a high bandwidth , and its average distance to the requesting clusters increases . hence , a distributed cache model represents an attractive design option . for an n - cluster system , we assume that the l1 cache is broken into n word - interleaved banks . each bank is associated with its own cluster . the lsq is also split across the different clusters . the example in fig2 shows an organization with four clusters . the processor model 200 of fig2 differs from the processor model 100 of fig1 in that each cluster 202 includes a distributed lsq 220 and a distributed data cache 222 . also , a bank predictor 209 is provided . because the various banks are word - interleaved , they cache mutually exclusive data and do not require any cache coherence protocol between them . the goal of the steering mechanism is to steer a load or store to the cluster that caches the corresponding memory address . we discuss the additional steering complexities arising from the distributed nature of the cache below . the l2 cache continues to be co - located with cluster 1 ( 202 - 1 ), and a miss in any of the l1 cache banks other than that associated with this cluster incurs additional latency depending on the number of hops . as process technologies shrink and the number of clusters is increased , attention must be paid to the communication delays and interconnect topology between clusters . cross - cluster communication occurs at the front - end as well as when communicating register values across clusters or when accessing the cache . since the former occurs in every cycle , we assume a separate network for this purpose and model non - uniform dispatch latencies as well as the additional latency in communicating a branch mispredict back to the front - end . since the latter two ( cache and register - to - register communication ) involve data transfer to / from registers , we assume that the same ( separate ) network is used . in the preferred embodiment , we focus on a ring interconnect because of its low implementation complexity . each cluster is directly connected to two other clusters . we assume two unidirectional rings , implying that a 16 - cluster system has 32 total links ( allowing 32 total transfers in a cycle ), with the maximum number of hops between any two nodes being 8 . below , as part of our sensitivity analysis , we also show results for a grid interconnect , which has a higher implementation cost but higher performance . the clusters are laid out in a two - dimensional array . each cluster is directly connected to up to four other clusters . for 16 clusters , there are 48 total links , with the maximum number of hops being 6 , thus reducing the overall communication cost . our simulator is based on simplescalar - 3 . 0 for the alpha axp instruction set . the simulator has been modified to represent a microarchitecture resembling the alpha 21264 . the register update unit ( ruu ) is decomposed into issue queues , physical register files , and the reorder buffer ( rob ). the issue queue and the physical register file are further split into integer and floating - point . thus , each cluster in our study is itself decomposed into an integer and floating - point cluster . the memory hierarchy is also modeled in detail ( including word - interleaved access , bus and port contention , writeback buffers , etc ). this base processor structure was modified to model the clustered microarchitecture . to represent a wire - delay constrained processor at future technologies , each cluster core was assumed to have one functional unit of each type , 30 physical registers ( int and fp , each ), and 15 issue queue entries ( int and fp , each ). as many instructions can issue in a cycle as the number of available functional units . we assume that each hop on the interconnect takes a single cycle . while we did not model a trace cache , we assumed that instructions could be fetched from up to two basic blocks at a time . the important simulation parameters are summarized in table 1 below . our study focuses on wire - limited technologies of the future and we pick latencies according to projections for 0 . 035μ . we used cacti - 3 . 0 to estimate access times for the cache organizations . with simplescalar , we simulated cache organizations with different size and port parameters ( and hence different latencies ) to determine the best base cases . these parameters are summarized in table 2 below . the centralized cache yielded best performance for a 4 - way word - interleaved 32 kb cache . such a cache has a bandwidth of four accesses per cycle and an access time of six cycles . the best decentralized cache organization has a single - ported four - cycle 16 kb bank in each cluster . as a benchmark set , we used four spec2k integer programs , three spec2k fp programs , and two programs from the ucla mediabench . the details on these programs are listed in table 3 below . the programs represent a mix of various program types , including high and low ipc codes , and those limited by memory , branch mispredictions , etc . most of these programs were fast forwarded through the first two billion instructions and simulated in detail to warm the various processor structures before measurements were taken . while we are simulating an aggressive processor model , not all our benchmark programs have a high ipc . note that an aggressive processor design is motivated by the need to run high ipc codes and by the need to support multiple threads . in both cases , the quick completion of a single low - ipc thread is still important — hence the need to include such programs in the benchmark set . for brevity , we focus our initial analysis on the 16 - cluster model with the centralized cache and the ring interconnect . fig3 shows the effect of statically using a fixed subset of clusters for a program . increasing the number of clusters increases the average distance of a load / store instruction from the centralized cache and the worst - case inter - cluster bypass delay , thereby greatly affecting the overall communication cost . assuming zero inter - cluster communication cost for loads and stores improved performance by 31 %, while assuming zero cost for register - to - register communication improved performance by 11 %, indicating that increased load / store latency dominates the communication overhead . this latency could be reduced by steering load / store instructions to the cluster closest to the cache , but this would increase load imbalance and register communication . the average latency for inter - cluster register communication in the 16 - cluster system was 4 . 1 cycles . at the same time , using more clusters also provides the program with more functional units , registers , and issue queue entries , thus allowing it to dispatch a larger window of in - flight instructions . depending on which of these two conflicting forces dominates , performance either improves or worsens as the number of clusters is increased . programs with distant ilp , like djpeg ( jpeg decoding from mediabench ), swim , mgrid , and galgel ( loop - based floating - point programs from spec2k ) benefit from using many resources . on the other hand , most integer programs with low branch prediction accuracies can not exploit a large window of in - flight instructions . hence , increasing the resources only degrades performance because of the additional communication cost . this is a phenomenon hitherto unobserved in a clustered processor ( partly because very few studies have looked at more than four clusters and partly because earlier studies assumed no communication cost in accessing a centralized cache ). our goal is to tune the hardware to the program &# 39 ; s requirements by dynamically allocating clusters to the program . this can be achieved by modifying the steering heuristic to disallow instruction dispatch to the disabled clusters . in other words , disabling is equivalent to not assigning any new instructions to the cluster . instructions already assigned to the disabled clusters are allowed to complete , resulting in a natural draining of the cluster . at the start of each program phase , we run each configuration option for an interval and record the ipcs . we then pick the configuration with the highest ipc and use it until the next phase change is detected . such a mechanism is heavily reliant on the program &# 39 ; s ability to sustain uniform performance over a number of intervals . we found that floating - point programs generally show this behavior , while the integer programs show a lot more variability . while earlier studies have assumed fixed interval lengths , we found that this would result in very poor performance for a number of programs . hence , picking an appropriate interval length is fundamental to the success of a configuration selection algorithm ( and can be universally applied to the configuration of other aspects of the processor in addition to the number of clusters ). to study the variability of program behavior over different intervals , we ran each of the programs for billions of instructions to generate a trace of various statistics at regular 10k instruction intervals . we used three metrics to define a program phase — ipc , branch frequency , and frequency of memory references . at the start of each program phase , the statistics collected during the first interval were used as reference . for each ensuing interval , if the three metrics for that interval were similar to the reference points , the interval was termed ‘ stable ’. if any of the three metrics was significantly different , we declared the interval as ‘ unstable ’ and began a new program phase . this analysis was done for many interval lengths . the instability factor for an interval length is the percentage of intervals that were considered ‘ unstable ’, i . e ., the frequency of the occurrence of a phase change . in our study , we found that it was sufficient to only explore a limited subset of the possible configurations ( 2 , 4 , 8 , and 16 clusters ) as they covered most of the interesting cases . an instability factor of 5 % ensures that less than 15 % of the intervals are in sub - optimal configurations . table 4 below shows the smallest interval length that affords an acceptable instability factor of less than 5 % for each of our programs . as can be seen , the interval lengths that emerge as the best vary from 10k to 40m . we also show the instability factor for a fixed interval length of 10k instructions . clearly , this interval length works poorly for a number of programs and would result in quite unacceptable performance . most programs usually show consistent behavior across intervals for a coarse enough interval length , making interval - based schemes very robust and universally applicable . even a program like parser , whose behavior varies dramatically based on the input data , has a low instability factor for a large 40m instruction interval . in order to arrive at the optimal instruction interval length at run - time , we use a simple algorithm . we start with the minimum instruction interval . if the instability factor is too high , we double the size of the interval and repeat this until we either experience a low instability factor or reach a pre - specified limit ( say , a billion instructions ). if we reach the limit , we cease to employ the selection algorithm and pick the configuration that was picked most often . once we pick an interval length , we need not remain at that interval length forever . the program might move from one large macrophase to another that might have a completely different optimal instruction interval . to deal with this , we can continue to hierarchically build phase detection algorithms . an algorithm that inspects statistics at a coarse granularity ( say , every 100 billion instructions ) could trigger the detection of a new macrophase , at which point , we would restart the selection algorithm with a 10k interval length and find the optimal interval length all over again . for completeness , in the code listing below , we describe our algorithm that selects the interval length , detects phases , and selects the best configuration at run - time . at the start of a phase , the statistics collected in the first interval serve as a reference point against which to compare future statistics and detect a phase change . the branch and memory reference frequencies are microarchitecture - independent parameters and can be used to detect phase changes even during the exploration process . after exploration , the best performing configuration is picked and its ipc is also used as a reference . a phase change is signaled if either the number of branches , the number of memory references , or the ipc differs significantly from the reference point . occasionally , there is a slight change in ipc characteristics during an interval ( perhaps caused by a burst of branch mispredicts or cache misses ), after which , behavior returns to that of the previous phase . to discourage needless explorations in this scenario , we tolerate some noise in the ipc measurements ( with the num ipc variations parameter ). in addition , if phase changes are frequent , the instability variable is incremented and eventually , the interval length is doubled . differs from that in the reference point by more than 10 %) num_ipc_variations = 0 ; ( this indicates the number of times there was a stable_state = false ; ( this is set only after all configs are explored ) this entire process of run - time reconfiguration can be implemented in software with support from hardware event counters . a low - overhead software routine ( like that used for software tlb miss handling ) that inspects various hardware counters before making a decision on the subsequent configuration is invoked at every interval . the algorithm amounts to about 100 assembly instructions , only a small fraction of which are executed at each invocation . even for the minimum interval length of 10k instructions , this amounts to an overhead of much less than 1 %. implementing the selection algorithm in software allows greater flexibility and opens up the possibility for application - specific algorithms . algorithms at higher levels that detect changes in macrophases have an even lower overhead . since the algorithm runs entirely in software , most program - specific state resides in memory as opposed to hardware registers . hence , apart from the event counters , no additional state has to be saved and restored on a context switch . results will now be presented . in fig4 , the third bar illustrates the impact of using the interval - based selection mechanism with exploration at the start of each program phase . as reference points , the first two bars show the static organizations with four and 16 clusters . we see that in almost all cases , the dynamic scheme does a very good job in approximating the performance of the best static organization . for floating - point programs with little instability ( galgel , mgrid , swim ), the dynamic scheme easily matches the hardware to the program &# 39 ; s requirements . for the integer programs , in most cases , there is an initial unstable period when the interval size is inappropriate . consistent with our earlier analysis , the interval size is increased until it settles at one that allows an instability factor of less than 5 %. in parser , the simulation interval was not long enough to allow the dynamic scheme to settle at the required 40m instruction interval . in djpeg , it takes a number of intervals for the interval size to be large enough ( 1 . 28m instructions ) to allow a small instability factor . further , since the interval length is large , many opportunities for reconfiguration are missed . there are small phases within each interval where the ilp characteristics are different . for these two reasons , the dynamic scheme falls short of the performance of the fixed static organization with 16 clusters for djpeg . in the case of gzip , there are a number of prolonged phases , some with distant ilp characteristics , and others with low amounts of distant ilp . since the dynamic scheme picks the best configuration at any time , its performance is better than even the best static fixed organization . on average , 8 . 3 of the 16 clusters were disabled at any time across the benchmark set . in the absence of any other workload , this produces a great savings in leakage energy , provided the supply voltage to these unused clusters can be turned off . likewise , for a multi - threaded workload , even after optimizing single - thread performance , more than eight clusters still remain for use by the other threads . overall , the dynamic interval - based scheme with exploration performs about 11 % better than the best static fixed organization . it is also very robust — it applies to every program in our benchmark set as there is usually a coarse enough interval length such that behavior across those intervals is fairly consistent . however , the downside is the inability to target relatively short phases . we experimented with smaller initial interval lengths , but found that the dynamic scheme encountered great instability at these small interval lengths , and hence , the interval lengths were increased to a larger value just as before . this is caused by the fact that measurements become noisier as the interval size is reduced and it is harder to detect the same program metrics across intervals and accordingly identify the best configuration for any phase . to alleviate these problems , we attempted an alternative interval - based scheme . instead of exploring various configurations at the start of each program phase , we used a 16 - cluster configuration for an interval and based on the degree of available distant ilp , we selected either a four or 16 - cluster configuration for subsequent intervals until the next phase change ( our earlier results indicate that these are the two most meaningful configurations and cover most cases ). an instruction is marked as distant if it is at least 120 instructions younger than the oldest instruction in the rob . at the time of issue , the instruction sets a bit in its rob entry if it is distant . at the time of commit , this bit is used to increment the ‘ degree of distant ilp ’. since each cluster has 30 physical registers , four clusters are enough to support about 120 in - flight instructions . if the number of distant instructions issued in an interval exceeds a certain threshold , it indicates that 16 clusters would be required to exploit the available distant ilp . in our experiments , we use a threshold value of 160 for an interval length of 1000 . because there is no exploration phase , the hardware reacts quickly to a program phase change and reconfiguration at a finer granularity becomes meaningful . hence , we focus on small fixed instruction intervals and do not attempt to increase the interval length at run - time . however , since the decision is based on program metrics instead of exploration , some accuracy is compromised . further , the smaller the interval length , the faster the reaction to a phase change , but the noisier the measurements , resulting in some incorrect decisions . fig4 also shows results for such a mechanism for three different fixed interval lengths . an interval length of 1k instructions provides the best trade - off between accuracy and fast reactions to phase changes . overall , it shows the same 11 % improvement over the best static base case . however , in a program like djpeg , it does much better ( 21 %) than the interval - based scheme with exploration because of its ability to target small phases with different requirements . unfortunately , it takes a performance hit in programs like galgel and gzip because the small interval - length and the noisy measurements result in frequent phase changes and inaccurate decision - making . one of the primary reasons for this is the fact that the basic blocks executed in successive 1000 instruction intervals are not always the same . as a result , frequent phase changes are signaled and each new phase change results in an interval with 16 clusters , to help determine the distant ilp . to alleviate this problem , we examine a fine - grain reconfiguration scheme at basic block boundaries . to allow reconfiguration at a fine granularity , we look upon every branch as a potential phase change . we need to determine if a branch is followed by a high degree of distant ilp , in which case , dispatch should continue freely , else , dispatch should be limited to only the first four clusters . exploring various configurations is not a feasible option as there are likely to be many neighboring branches in different stages of exploration resulting in noisy measurements for each branch . hence , until we have enough information , we assume dispatch to 16 clusters and compute the distant ilp characteristics following every branch . this is used to update a reconfiguration table so that when the same branch is later encountered , it is able to pick the right number of clusters . if we encounter a branch with no entry in the table , we assume a 16 - cluster organization so that we can determine its degree of distant ilp . assuming that four clusters can support roughly 120 instructions , to determine if a branch is followed by distant ilp , we need to identify how many of the 360 committed instructions following a branch were distant when they issued . accordingly , either four or 16 clusters would be appropriate . to effect this computation , we keep track of the distant ilp nature of the 360 last committed instructions . a single counter can be updated by the instructions entering and leaving this queue of 360 instructions so that a running count of the distant ilp can be maintained . when a branch happens to be the oldest of these 360 instructions , its degree of distant ilp is indicated by the value in the counter . there is likely to still be some interference from neighboring branches . to make the mechanism more robust , we sample the behavior for a number of instances of the same branch before creating an entry for it in the reconfiguration table . further , we can fine - tune the granularity of reconfiguration by attempting changes only for specific branches . for example , we found that best performance was achieved when we attempted changes for only every fifth branch . we also show results for a mechanism that attempts changes only at subroutine calls and returns . we formalize the algorithm below : the downside of the approach just described is the fact that initial measurements dictate future behavior . the nature of the code following a branch could change over the course of the program . it might not always be easy to detect such a change , especially if only four clusters are being used and the degree of distant ilp is not evident . to deal with this situation , we flush the reconfiguration table at periodic intervals . we found that re - constructing the table every 10m instructions resulted in negligible overheads . in fig5 , in addition to the base cases and the interval - based scheme with exploration , we show ipcs for two fine - grained reconfiguration schemes . the first attempts reconfiguration at every 5th branch and creates an entry in the table after collecting 10 samples for each branch . to eliminate effects from aliasing , we use a large 16k - entry table , though , in almost all cases , a much smaller table works as well . the second scheme attempts changes at every subroutine call and return and uses three samples . the figure indicates that the ability to quickly react to phase changes results in improved performance in programs like djpeg , cjpeg , crafty , parser , and vpr . the maximum number of changes between configurations was observed for crafty ( 1 . 5 million ). unlike in the interval - based schemes with no exploration , instability is not caused by noisy measurements . however , gzip fails to match the performance achieved by the interval - based scheme . this is because the nature of the code following a branch changes over the course of the program . hence , our policy of using initial measurements to pick a configuration for the future is not always accurate . the same behavior is observed to a lesser extent in galgel . overall , the fine - grained schemes yield a 15 % improvement over the base cases , compared to the 11 % improvements seen with the interval - based schemes . from these results , we conclude that interval - based schemes with exploration are easy to implement , robust , and provide most of the speedups possible . because of their tendency to pick a coarse interval length , a number of reconfiguration opportunities are missed . choosing a small interval length is not the solution to this because of noisy measurements across successive small intervals . to allow fine - grained reconfigurations , we pick basic block boundaries as reconfiguration points and use initial measurements to predict future behavior . except for gzip , such an approach does not trade off much accuracy and the hardware is able to quickly adapt to the program &# 39 ; s needs . however , to get this additional 4 % improvement , we have to invest some non - trivial amount of hardware — a table to keep track of the predictions and logic to maintain the distant ilp metric . the decentralized cache model will now be described , first with regard to the clustered lsq implementation . in the decentralized cache model , if an effective address is known when a memory instruction is renamed , then it can be directed to the cluster that caches the corresponding data . however , the effective address is generally not known at rename time , requiring that we predict the bank that this memory operation is going to access . based on this prediction , the instruction is sent to one of the clusters . once the effective address is computed , appropriate recovery action has to be taken in the case of a bank misprediction . if the operation is a load , recovery is simple — the effective address is sent to the correct cluster , where memory conflicts are resolved in the lsq , data is fetched from the cache bank , and returned to the requesting cluster . if the memory operation is a store , the misdirection could result in correctness problems . a load in a different cluster could have proceeded while being unaware of the existence of a mis - directed store to the same address . to deal with this problem , we adopt the following policy . while renaming , a store whose effective address is unknown is assigned to a particular cluster ( where its effective address is computed ), but at the same time , a dummy slot is also created in the other clusters . subsequent loads behind the dummy slot in other clusters are prevented from proceeding because there is an earlier store with an unresolved address that could potentially cause conflicts . once the effective address is computed , the information is broadcast to all the clusters and the dummy slots in all the lsqs except one are removed . the broadcast increases the traffic on the interconnect for register and cache data ( which we model ). regarding the bank prediction , earlier work had proposed the use of branch - predictor - like tables to predict the bank accessed by a load or store . in our simulations , we use a two - level bank predictor with 1024 entries in the first level and 4096 entries in the second . regarding the steering heuristics , in a processor with a decentralized cache , the steering heuristic has to handle three data dependences for each load or store — the two source operands and the bank that caches the data . since the transfer of cache data involves two communications ( the address and the data ), performance is maximized when a load or store is steered to the cluster that is predicted to cache the corresponding data ( note that unlike in the centralized cache model , doing so does not increase load imbalance as the cache is not at a single location ). even so , frequent bank mispredictions and the increased traffic from store address broadcasts seriously impact performance . ignoring these effects improved performance by 29 %. at the same time , favoring the dependence from the cache bank results in increased register communication . assuming free register communication improved performance by 27 %. thus , register and cache traffic contribute equally to the communication bottleneck in such a system . so far , our results have assumed a clustered processor with a centralized cache . hence , reconfiguration is only a matter of allowing the steering heuristic to dispatch to a subset of the total clusters . with a decentralized cache , each cluster has a cache bank associated with it . data is allocated to these cache banks in a word - interleaved manner . in going from 16 to four clusters , the number of cache banks and hence , the mapping of data to physical cache lines changes . to fix this problem , the least complex solution is to stall the processor while the l1 data cache is flushed to l2 . fortunately , the bank predictor need not be flushed . with 16 clusters , the bank predictor produces a 4 - bit prediction . when four clusters are used , the two lower order bits of the prediction indicate the correct bank . because the indexing of data to physical cache locations changes , reconfiguration is not as seamless as in the centralized cache model . every reconfiguration requires a stall of the processor and a cache flush . hence , the fine - grained reconfiguration schemes from the earlier section do not apply . fig6 shows ipcs for the base cases and the interval - based mechanisms . the third bar shows the scheme with exploration and a minimum interval length of 10k instructions . the fourth and fifth bars show interval - based schemes with no exploration and the use of distant ilp metrics to pick the best configuration . the simulation parameters for the decentralized cache are summarized in table 2 . we find that the results trend is similar to that seen before for the centralized cache model . except in the case of djpeg , there is no benefit from reconfiguring using shorter intervals . overall , the interval - based scheme with exploration yielded a 10 % speedup over the base cases . since the dynamic scheme attempts to minimize reconfigurations , cache flushes are kept to a minimum . vpr encountered the maximum number of writebacks due to flushes ( 400k ), which resulted in a 1 % ipc slowdown . overall , these flushes resulted in a 0 . 3 % ipc degradation . our results have shown that the communication - parallelism trade - off greatly affects the scalability of different programs as the number of clusters is increased for two important cache organizations . in this section , we confirm the applicability of our dynamic reconfiguration algorithms to other meaningful base cases . some of the key parameters that affect the degree of communication and the degree of distant ilp are the choice of interconnect between the clusters , the latency of communication across a hop , the number of functional units in each cluster , and the number of instructions that can be supported by each cluster ( the number of registers and issue queue entries per cluster ). fig7 shows the effect of using a grid interconnect with a centralized cache model . because of the better connectivity , the communication is less of a bottleneck and the performance of the 16 - cluster organization is 8 % better than that of the 4 - cluster system . for brevity , we only show results with the interval - based scheme with exploration . the trend is as seen before , but because the communication penalty is not as pronounced , the overall improvement over the best base case is only 7 %. the use of fine - grained reconfiguration techniques yields qualitatively similar results as with the ring interconnect . we also studied the sensitivity of the results to the sizes of various resources within a cluster . we studied the effect of using fewer ( 10 issue queue entries and 20 registers per cluster ) and more resources ( 20 issue queue entries and 40 registers per cluster ). when there are few resources per cluster , more clusters are required , on average , to exploit the available parallelism . hence , the 16 - cluster system is a favorable base case and the improvement of the interval - based dynamic mechanism relative to it is only 8 %. when there are more resources per cluster , using a few clusters for low - ilp phases is highly beneficial . as a result , the improvement over the 16 - cluster base is 13 %. doubling the cost of communication across each hop results in a highly communication - bound 16 - cluster system . by employing the dynamic mechanism and using fewer clusters for low - ilp phases , a 23 % performance improvement was seen . these results are qualitatively similar to the improvements seen with the interval - based schemes in the earlier subsections , indicating that the dynamically tunable design can help improve performance significantly across a wide range of processor parameters . thus , the communication - parallelism trade - off and its management are likely to be important in most processors of the future . while a preferred embodiment and variations thereon have been described above , those skilled in the art who have reviewed the present disclosure will readily appreciate that other embodiments can be realized within the scope of the present invention . for example , numerical values are illustrative rather than limiting , as are the specifics of the algorithms used . therefore , the present invention should be construed as limited only by the appended claims .
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the present invention provides a method and apparatus for depositing a relatively large mass of material upon a dielectric substrate and the resulting deposition product . the general apparatus for carrying out this deposition is shown in fig1 and includes a first electrode 5 , a dielectric substrate 1 closely proximate to or in contact with a second electrode 3 , also herein referred to as a deposition electrode . the volume between the dielectric substrate 1 and the first electrode 5 comprises a deposition zone into which aerosol particles are introduced . this is indicated by the horizontal arrow of fig1 . an alternating electric field ( the deposition field ), indicated by the vertical arrow in fig1 is created within the deposition zone by first electrode 5 , second electrode 3 in combination with an alternating voltage source , shown in fig1 as comprising batteries 9 and 11 and switch 7 wherein the polarity of the field generating voltage is determined by the position of switch 7 . however , any suitable means for generating an alternating voltage is contemplated to be within the scope of the invention . charged particles from the aerosol within the deposition zone are electrostatically attracted to the substrate 1 thereby forming a deposit 15 as shown in fig2 . the deposit is incrementally formed from groups of particles deposited from each cycle of the alternating field thereby forming a deposit with a relatively larger mass than is possible if a static electric field were to be used . the process of forming the deposit may be terminated by removal of the alternating field . the completed deposit is shown in fig3 as deposited on the dielectric substrate 1 . the aerosol particles may comprise a dry powder or droplets of a liquid . in one particular embodiment of this invention , the particles comprise a pharmaceutical , for example , albuterol . the pharmaceutical deposits made from deposited pharmaceutical particles may , for example , form a dosage used in a dry powder inhaler . in a second embodiment of this invention , the particles comprise a carrier coated with a biologically active agent . an example of a bioactive agent coated carrier is a gold particle ( the carrier ) coated by fragments of dna ( the bioactive agent ). such particles are used for gene therapy . the prior examples are intended to exemplify the applications of the invention , and not intended to limit the scope of it . the aerosol gas may comprise air or any other suitable gas or gas mixture . for some applications where it is desired to control precisely the environment to which the particles are exposed , and / or to control ion emission characteristics ( discussed subsequently ), pure nitrogen , or nearly pure nitrogen mixed with a small percentage of another gas , e . g . carbon dioxide , is preferred . basic components of an aerosol generator include means for continuously metering particles , and means for dispersing the particles to form an aerosol . a number of aerosol generators have been described in the literature and are commercially available . the most common method of dispersing a dry powder to form an aerosol is to feed the powder into a high velocity air stream . shear forces then break up agglomerated particles . one common powder feed method employs a suction force generated when an air stream is expanded through a venturi to lift particles from a slowly moving substrate . powder particles are then deagglomerated by the strong shear force encountered as they pass through the venturi . other methods include fluidized beds containing relatively large balls together with a chain powder feed to the bed , sucking powder from interstices into a metering gear feed , using a metering blade to scrape compacted powder into a high velocity air stream , and feeding compacted powder into a rotating brush that carries powder into a high velocity air stream . a krypton 85 radioactive source may be introduced into the aerosol stream to equilibrate any residual charge on the powder . alpha particles from the source provide a bipolar source of ions that are attracted to charged powder resulting in the formation of a weakly charged bipolar powder cloud . non - invasive aerosol concentration ( and mass density for aerosols of known particle size and specific density ) may be determined optically by using right angle scattering , optical absorption , phase - doppler anemometry , or near forward scattering . a few commercially available instruments permit the simultaneous determination of both concentration and particle size distribution . particles may be charged within or outside of the deposition zone . one contemplated method of charging particles is triboelectric charging . triboelectric charging occurs when the particles are made to come in contact with dissimilar materials and may be used with the particles are from a dry powder . triboelectric charging is well known and widely used as a means to charge toner particles in photocopying and electrophotographic electronic printing processes . generally , triboelectric charging of particles takes place outside of the deposition zone . a parameter that characterizes the efficacy of particle charging is the charge - to - mass ratio of particles . this parameter is important as it determines the amount of force that can be applied to the particle from an electric field , and therefore , the maximum velocity that particles can achieve during deposition . this , in turn , sets an upper bound to the deposition rate that can be achieved . charge - to - mass ratios of 1 μc to 50 μc per gram are achievable when triboelectrically charging 1 μm to 10 μm diameter particles . such charge - to - mass ratios are documented for pharmaceuticals by pletcher et al in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 714 , 007 . however , other particle charging methods may achieve charge - to - mass ratios at least ten times greater than is possible with triboelectric charging . accordingly , it is preferred to use such a method to maximize thee velocity of the particles when under influence of the deposition field and the rate at which it is possible to form the deposit . generally these methods for applying higher amounts of charge o the particles utilize an ion source to generate an abundance of ions of both or either positive and negative polarities . some of the negative polarity ions may be electrons . as particles from the aerosol pass in front of the ion source ( the charging zone ), ions of one polarity are accelerated away from the ion source by an electric field through which the particles travel . ions that impact the particles attach to the particles . ions continue to impact the particles until the local electric fields from the ions attached to the particles generate a local electric field of sufficient magnitude to repel the oncoming ions . fig5 and 6 illustrate two approaches for generating charging ions as well as the means for providing an accelerating field . in fig5 ions are generated using corona wire 35 . ions are accelerated through an open mesh screen 39 from an electric field created between open mesh screen 39 and electrode 25 . housing 37 may be slightly pressurized to prevent the migration of aerosol particles into the corona cavity . alternatively , the corona source may consist of one or more corona points at the location of corona wire 35 . aerosol enters the charging zone through channel 23 . particles are charged by corona generated ions that pass through the apertures of screen 39 . such a particle charging method is known . a derivative of this method is described by pressman et al in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 977 , 323 . as shown in fig5 , electrode 25 is the previously described deposition electrode and open mesh screen is the first electrode of the previously described deposition zone . likewise , substrate 33 is the previously described dielectric substrate . thus , in this exemplary configuration , the charging zone and deposition zone are the same and the particles are simultaneously charged and made to deposit . a particle trajectory is shown by path 41 . an alternate particle charging method using an ion source employs a silent electric discharge ( sed ) charge generator . the construction and operation of this class of device is described by d . landheer and e . b . devitts , photographic science and engineering , 27 , no . 5 , 189 - 192 , september / october , 1993 and also in u . s . pat . nos . 4 , 379 , 969 , 4 , 514 , 781 , 4 , 734 , 722 , 4 , 626 , 876 and 4 , 875 , 060 . in the exemplary implementation illustrated in fig6 , a cylindrical glass core 43 supports four glass coated tungsten wires 45 equally spaced about its surface . the assembly is closely wound with a fine wire 47 in the form of a spiral . a typical generator unit , available from delphax systems , canton , mass ., consists of a 1 cm diameter pyrex glass rod supporting four glass clad 0 . 018 cm diameter tungsten wires . the assembly is spiral wound with 0 . 005 cm diameter tungsten wire at a pitch of about 40 turns per cm . only one glass coated tungsten wire is activated at any time . the other three wires are spares that may be rotated into the active position if the original active wire becomes contaminated . in fig6 , the active wire is that wire closest to the opening in channel 23 . ions and electrons are generated in the region adjacent the glass coated wire when a potential of about 2300vacpp at a frequency of about 120 khz is applied between the tungsten wire core and the spiral wound tungsten wire . ions and electrons are withdrawn from the active region by an electric field created between spiral winding 47 and electrode 25 . as in fig5 , in the exemplary configuration of fig6 and 7 , the aerosol particles are simultaneously charged and made to deposit . other ion sources exist that may be suitable for charging particles . for example , it is possible to generate ions with x - rays or other ionizing radiation ( e . g . from a radioactive source ). when particles are charged with an ion source , any means for making available ions of both or either positive and negative polarity ions is meant to be within the scope of the invention . another means for charging particles particularly applicable to liquid droplets is described by kelly in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 255 , 777 . in this approach , charged droplets are formed by an electrostatic atomizing device . although , the charge - to - mass ratio of such particles cited by kelly is not as high as can be achieved when charging particles with an ion source , it is comparable to that achievable by triboelectric charging and may be both preferable in some applications of the invention and is , in any case , suitable for use with the present invention . the above cited configurations are not meant to imply any limitations in configuration . rather they are meant to serve as examples of possible configurations contemplated by the invention . therefore , for example , although particle charging with ion sources is shown and discussed wherein particles are charged within the deposition zone , charging of particles with ion sources outside of the deposition zone is also contemplated . all possible combinations of system configuration made possible by the present disclosure are contemplated to be within the scope of the invention . the alternating deposition field preferably has a frequency between 1 hz and 10 khz , and most preferably , frequency between 10 hz and 1000 hz , and a magnitude of between 1 kv / cm and 10 kv / cm . other frequencies and magnitudes are possible , depending upon the system configuration . for example , a higher deposition field magnitude is possible , generally up to 30 kv / cm — the breakdown potential of air and other gases , but not preferred because it may lead to unexpected sparking . lower deposition field magnitudes are not preferred because the velocity of the aerosol particles in response to the applied field becomes too low . likewise , an alternating frequency below 1 hz generally is not preferred for most applications because it is anticipated that charge buildup on the dielectric substrate may substantially diminish the magnitude of the deposition field over periods of a second or more . however , there may be applications where this is not the case . frequencies of 10 khz and higher generally are not preferred because it is believed that the charged particles will not have sufficient time to travel through the deposition zone and form the deposition . however , for systems with very small deposition zones , this may not be a factor . the waveform of the deposition field preferably is rectangular . however , it has been found that triangular and sinusoidal waveforms also are effective in forming deposits , although generally less so . the waveform has a duty cycle , which is defined in terms of a preferred field direction . the duty cycle is the percentage of time that the deposition field is in the preferred field direction . the preferred field direction either may be positive or negative with respect to the deposition electrode depending upon the characteristics of a particular system configuration . the duty cycle preferably is greater than 50 % and most preferably 90 %. the preferred field direction is that which maximizes the deposition rate . as previously described , the deposition field is formed between a first electrode and a second , deposition electrode . the first electrode may or may not be an element of an ion emitter . in some configurations of the invention use of an ion emitter in the deposition zone is advantageous in that it helps to discharge the deposited charged particles thereby preventing the buildup of a field from the deposited charged particles that repels the further deposition of particles from the aerosol . this is particularly advantageous when the duty cycle is greater than 50 %. of course , an ion emitter is required in the deposition zone if the aerosol particles are to be charged within the deposition zone . however , it is also possible to control the charging of the particles , synchronously with or asynchronously to the alternation of the deposition field such that the buildup of a particle repelling field from the deposit is minimized . the dielectric substrate is closely proximate to and preferably in contact with the deposition electrode . by closely proximate is meant that the separation between the dielectric substrate and the deposition electrode is less than the thickness of the dielectric substrate . in this way , the charged aerosol particles are directed to land on the dielectric substrate in an area determined by the contact or closely proximate area of the deposition electrode . thus , it is possible to control the location and size of the deposit . the substrate for the deposit may consist of a dielectric material , such as vinyl film , or an electrically conducting material such as aluminum foil . as previously mentioned , as unipolar charged powder is deposited upon the surface of a dielectric , a large electrical potential is formed which generates an electric field that opposes the deposition field and deposition is thus self - limiting at rather low masses . if unipolar charged powder is deposited on the surface of an electrical conductor , then again a surface potential will be built up but of a lower magnitude than that of a corresponding insulating substrate . the ratio of the surface voltage of a deposit on an insulating layer to that of a deposit on the surface of a conducting layer is roughly equal to ratio of the relative thickness of the dielectric plus the thickness of the deposited powder and the thickness of the deposited powder layer . the use of alternating deposition to form bipolar layers through the use of ac aerosol charging and ac deposition fields allows larger masses to be deposited onto the surfaces of conductors . the dielectric substrate may be any material and have any structure suitable to its other functions . for example , it may be a packaging medium , such as a tablet , capsule or tublet , or the blister of a plastic or metal foil blister package . the dielectric substrate may also be a pharmaceutical carrier , for example , a pill or capsule . it may be any edible material , including chocolate . alternatively , it may be simply a carrier of the deposit for carrying it to another location for further processing . we have found with the present invention that it is possible to deposit substantially all of the aerosol particles that pass through the deposition zone under conditions where the flow rate of the aerosol is below a maximum . this maximum flow rate is determined primarily by the magnitude of the deposition field , the charge - to - mass ratio of the charged particles , and their diameters . the capability to deposit substantially all of the aerosol particles has been demonstrated for relatively large mass deposits , much larger than is possible using prior art systems that electrostatically create deposits . for example , we have deposited several milligrams of lactose power into a blister of a blister pack of 6 mm diameter . a particular advantage of the present invention is that there are no limits related to charge - to - mass ratio of the charged particles nor the amount of charge laid down on a substrate as there are with prior art systems . the use of an alternating deposition field enables deposition of charge of either polarity on the combination of substrate and deposit , whether the charge is carried by ions or charged particles . the net deposited charge may be therefore neutralized if necessary . as such , the limits to the mass of the deposit become mechanical in nature rather than electrical . the ability to deposit substantially all of the aerosol particles that pass through the deposition zone provides a new method for controlling the mass of the deposit . in this method the mass flow of the aerosol particles that pass into and out of the deposition zone is measured over time by means of sensors 60 , 62 located upstream and downstream of the deposition zone . the results could be recorded for manufacturing control records and adjustments in flow rate , etc ., made as need be to maintain a desired deposition amount . as previously mentioned there are various known means for measuring the velocity of an aerosol . in combination , these means enable the measurement of the mass flow rate . the integration of the mass flow rate over time gives the total mass . accordingly , the mass of a deposit may be controlled by measuring the mass flow of aerosol particles into the deposition zone and upon reaching a desired deposit mass , removing the presence of the alternating deposition field . in circumstances wherein a portion of the total aerosol is not deposited as it passes through the deposition zone , a second measuring instrument may be positioned immediately after the deposition zone . the difference between the two measurements represents the total mass deposited from the aerosol as it passes the deposition zone . the deposit may be controlled by removing the presence of the alternating deposition field as described previously . even in cases wherein substantially all of the aerosol particles are deposited in the deposition area , the existence of a second measuring instrument provides confirmation of the actual mass deposited , and is of particular interest in applications where the reliability of the mass deposited is of commercial interest such as pharmaceutical dosages . the mass of deposits formed by the present invention is relatively larger than deposits that can be formed with prior art methods that electrostatically create deposits . on the other hand , they may be much smaller than masses conveniently created using prior art methods that mechanically weigh or otherwise mechanically measure or control the mass . as such , the present invention provides a unique means to address a hitherto unaddressed need . the details of the invention may be further examined by considering fig5 . here , an aerosol generator 17 forms an air borne particle dispersion that is carried by enclosed channel 19 to aerosol concentration monitoring station 21 . channel 23 then carries the aerosol through a region where charging device 31 charges the powder . an electrostatic field is provided between the charging device 31 and deposition electrode 25 . deposition electrode 25 corresponds to electrode 3 shown in fig1 . a dielectric substrate 27 shown here as a blister pack pocket that collects charged particles deflected by the electrostatic field . a second concentration monitoring station 29 is employed to determine how much of the particles have been removed from the aerosol . under conditions whereby essentially all of the particles are removed from the air stream , this second concentration monitor may not be required . the air stream then moves into collector 30 . this collector might consist of a filter or an electrostatic precipitator or both . alternately , the air may be recirculated through the aerosol generator . a filling device was set up according to the schematic of fig6 . the channel was fabricated of ¼ - inch thick polycarbonate sheet . the channel width was 40 - mm and its height was 6 - mm . a blister pack pocket , formed of 6 - mil polyvinyl chloride , having a depth of 4 - mm and a diameter of 6 - mm was supported on a circular electrode 25 having a diameter of 4 - mm . the charge source , consisting of glass core rod 43 , spiral wire electrode 47 and four glass coated wire 45 spaced at intervals around the periphery of the core rod , was obtained from delphax systems , canton , mass . delphax customers employ these rods in discharging ( erasing ) latent images on delphax high - speed printer drums . spiral winding 47 was maintained at ground potential and glass coated tungsten wire 45 was excited using 2300 volt peak - to - peak ac at a frequency of 120 khz . a trek high voltage amplifier was employed to provide square wave switching of deposition electrode 25 at a frequency of 35 hertz . the output voltage was switched between + 5 kv and − 5 kv . the duty cycle was set so that negative charges were extracted for 10 % of the square wave period leaving positive charge extraction to occur over 90 % of the duty cycle . an aerosol consisting of lactose powder , having a particle size in the range of about 3 to about 7 microns , was suspended in a flowing stream of nitrogen gas . the lactose was aerosolized by the turbulent action of pressurized nitrogen in a wright dust feed aerosolizer manufactured by bgi inc ., waltham , mass . the aerosol concentration was about 1 microgram / cm 3 and the channel flow velocity was adjusted to 30 cm / sec . charging and deposition potentials were applied for a period of two minutes during aerosol flow . a well - defined mass of powder , measured and found to be 1 mg , was formed at the bottom of the blister pack pocket . no powder deposition was found at the blister pack walls or on the bottom of the channel . subsequent experimental runs established that the mass deposited was proportional to the deposition time over the time intervals of ½ to 5 minutes . with the present invention , it is also possible to multiplex the operation of two or more deposition zones served from a single aerosol source by configuring deposition zones along the aerosol path and selectively applying an alternating deposition field at one deposition zone at a time . aerosol particles passing into a deposition zone where no alternating deposition field exists simply pass through the deposition zone whereupon they can pass into a next deposition zone . although various embodiments which incorporate the teachings of the present invention have been shown and described in detail herein , many other varied embodiments that still incorporate these teachings may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention . for example , the aerosol particles may comprise carrier particles which may comprise inert substrates including biocompatible metal particles coated with a bioactive agent .
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referring to fig1 and 2 , an exercise apparatus is shown employing a seating assembly in the form of a couch 10 having a pair of side structures , namely arms 12 and 14 . couch 10 has a back 16 with a front and rear face . couch 10 also has a seating area 18 between the arms 12 and 14 . next to arm 14 is a case 20 shown containing an adjustable weight in the form of a header 22 supporting a rod 24 . a selectable number of weight plates 26 are shown stacked on rod 24 . a cable c is shown mounted inside case 20 to follow a routing that will be described presently . cable c is at times referred to as an engagement means , and weight 26 is also referred to as an exercise means . while shown adjacent arm 14 , in other embodiments the case can be mounted adjacent arm 12 . while this case is rectangular , in other embodiments the case can be cylindrical , a polygonal prism , a frustrum of an ovoid , etc . also , case 20 can be finished with an appropriate wood or plastic laminate or may be made of a fine wood that can be finished appropriately . a handle 28 connected to one end of cable c is shown protruding inwardly from the inside face of arm 12 in fig2 . in fig1 the handle 28 has been detached from the cable and an arm cover 31 is shown concealing the opening for the cable in arm 12 . another handle ( to be described presently ) and is associated with arm 14 . referring to fig3 , and 5 , a header is shown as a rectangular palette 22 having on its right and left edges two pairs of wheels 30 . wheels 30 roll within the pair of tracks 32 , which are channels mounted on opposing inside faces of case 20 . a rod 24 is shown angled slightly upwardly out from header 22 for the purpose of holding a stack of weight plates 26 . a door 34 is shown hingedly attached to one corner of case 20 . in other embodiments door of the case can be positioned on various sides and can be hinged in various ways . mounted opposite door 34 , inside case 20 is a vertical support beam 36 running the full height of the inside of case 20 . mounted near the top , on opposite sides of beam 36 , are a pair of upper pulleys 38 . mounted on opposite sides near the bottom of support beam 36 , are a pair of lower transition pulleys 40 . transition pulleys 40 are mounted adjacent a pair of openings 42 along the bottom of the wall of case 20 , opposite door 34 . journaled on the back of header 22 , opposite rod 24 is a reversing pulley 44 , used for a purpose to be described presently . while shown on the back of the header , this reversing pulley can be positioned on the front , top edge or elsewhere in other embodiments . referring to fig6 and 7 , previously mentioned couch arm 14 is shown with its outside covering and padding removed , as well as one of its side panels , to reveal the mechanism inside the arm . the cap 42 is shown removed for illustrative purposes . arm 14 is shown containing an internal beam 49 supporting an upper pulley 50 , and a lower pulley 48 . two stretches of cable c passing through the arm are shown as follows : stretch c 1 is shown passing through arm 14 to continue along the bottom of the couch . stretch c 2 is shown passing under lower pulley 48 and over upper pulley 50 to pass through hole 52 before terminating in a cable loop 54 . loop 54 is secured by means of u - bolt 56 that squeezes the end of the cable against the plate 58 using nuts 60 . with loop 54 secured in this fashion , it cannot be drawn into the arm 14 and lost . for this purpose , a u - shaped stop 62 is mounted on the bolt / axle 64 of upper pulley 50 . accordingly , the hardware 56 / 58 cannot pass through the stop 62 and therefore loop 54 will remain exposed . thus , handle 66 may be attached to loop 54 by using the clasp 68 at the inside end of the handle . previously mentioned handle 28 ( fig2 ) is constructed and attached to cable c 1 in the same way . referring to fig8 and 9 , cable c is shown routed over previously mentioned pulleys 38 , 40 , 44 , 48 and 50 . in fig8 pulleys 38 and 40 are shown mounted on vertical beam 36 , while pulleys 48 and 50 are mounted on beam 49 inside one couch arm . in the opposite couch arm , vertical beam 70 is shown supporting an upper pulley 72 and a lower pulley 74 . accordingly , beam 70 and its pulleys are structured in a manner similar to beam 49 and pulleys 48 and 50 . in fig8 cable c is shown traveling over and to the outside of pulley 72 before passing under lower pulley 74 . thereafter , cable c passes through the couch ( underneath the seating area 18 of the couch 10 of fig1 ) to follow stretch c 1 . see also fig6 . stretch c 2 is shown , as before , passing over pulley 50 and under pulley 48 . in fig9 stretches c 1 and c 2 are shown passing under pulleys 40 and rising to pass over the top of upper pulleys 38 . thereafter , stretches c 1 and c 2 join in a bight that passes under reversing pulley 44 , which can lift the weight header 22 . pulley 44 is shown on the back of header 22 , but in other embodiments can be positioned at the front , the top edge , etc . to facilitate an understanding of the principles associated with the foregoing apparatus , its operation will now be briefly described . the door 34 may be opened to expose the header 22 ( fig1 and 2 ). the user can then place an appropriate number of weight plates 26 on the rod 24 of header 22 . handles 28 and 66 may be stored on hooks ( not shown ) on the back of door 34 . accordingly , door 34 functions as a means of storing exercise accessories , namely , handles 28 and 66 . the covers 31 on arms 12 and 14 may be removed to expose the loops on the ends of cable c . in fig6 the handle 66 is shown with its clasp 68 adjacent to loop 54 . the clasp 68 can be opened and hooked around loop 54 in a conventional manner . handle 28 ( fig8 and 9 ) can be installed in a similar manner . the user can then stand near or sit anywhere on couch 10 . for example , the user can sit next to one of the arms 12 or 14 to use one of the ends of cable c . alternatively , the user can sit centrally on seating area 18 of couch 10 and pull on both ends of cable c , simultaneously . referring to fig8 and 9 , when user pulls on handle 66 , stretch c 2 of cable c is pulled over pulley 50 and under pulleys 40 and 48 . consequently , stretch c 2 of cable c is pulled over the top of one of the pulleys 38 to shorten the bight that is located between pulleys 38 and under reversing pulley 44 . referring to fig3 and 5 , header 22 rises while its rollers 30 ride in the tracks 32 . if handle 28 ( fig9 ) is pulled ( instead of or simultaneously with handle 66 ) stretch c 1 of cable c is pulled over pulley 72 and under pulleys 74 and 40 . as a result , cable c is pulled over the top of one of the pulleys 38 to shorten the bight that is located between pulleys 38 and under reversing pulley 44 , to lift weight header 22 . fig9 illustrates an additional feature for alternate embodiments . specifically , a line 76 is shown tied at point 77 along the stretch c 1 of cable c . line 76 is shown traveling past the arm area containing pulleys 72 and 74 . in this embodiment line 76 emerges to the outside of the couch arm ( arm 12 of fig2 ). line 76 is shown coupled to a leg exercising accessory 78 such as a leg bracelet or strap . thus , a user may slip a foot into the accessory 78 . since the line 76 emerges at a relatively low elevation , the user can readily exercise a leg by pulling with the leg on line 76 . the cable c can then lift the adjustable weight in a fashion similar to that described in connection with the pulling of handle 28 . referring to fig1 , previously mentioned couch 10 is shown again with arms 12 and 14 and seating area 18 . the previously mentioned cables loops and handles located at or in couch 10 are the same as before . the previously illustrated case is shown herein as alternate case 120 , which has been spaced from arm 14 by an intervening , rectangular end table 180 . the case 120 contains the same mechanism as before , except reversed , right to left . corresponding components have a reference numeral that was increased by one hundred over the correspondent . accordingly , weight header 122 is shown mounted with its rod 124 pointing toward couch 10 . as a clear variation over the embodiment of fig2 reversing pulley 144 is shown on the same side as the rod 124 . pulleys 138 and 140 are shown mounted to the outside of case 120 . cable stretches c 1 and c 2 pass through end table 180 to pass under pulleys 140 and over pulleys 138 , before joining in the bight located between pulleys 138 and under reversing pulley 144 . routed in this fashion , the cable c can lift the adjustable weight in essentially the same manner as with the other embodiment . the exposed faces of case 120 are closed . one can gain access to header 122 and rod 124 for the purpose of adding weights , by lifting the top 182 of end table 180 . no wall exists at the intersection between table 180 and case 120 . therefore , the user can add or remove weights from rod 124 through end table 180 . it will be appreciated that still other modifications may be implemented with respect to the above described , preferred embodiments . in some embodiments the adjustable weight may be formed from a horizontal stack of weight plates that may be connected by a pin to a vertical rod depending from a header . in other embodiments , the weights may be replaced with springs , elastomeric cords or other devices that can be stretched or deformed to provide muscle resistance to the exerciser . the couch may have various , aesthetically pleasing shapes and design features in other embodiments . while the ends of the cables are shown connected to handles , other grasping devices can be used such as pulling bars , cloth loops etc . while a loop and clasp is shown for connecting the handle to the cable end , in other embodiments the handle may be permanently attached from alternate fastening means . in other embodiments , the reversing pulley on the header can be mounted on a different elevation or can be mounted along the top edge of the header . in still other embodiments , the header can be an open frame made of various components that are fastened together by bolts , welding , etc . the size , dimensions and shape of the couch and the adjacent case can be altered depending upon the desired seating capacity , weight capacity , pulling range , aesthetic considerations , etc . obviously , many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings . it is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims , the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described .
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as illustrated in the drawings , the composite bend 10 of the invention comprises a bent pipe 11 , a frame 12 , a plurality of ceramic wear liners 13 and a cover plate 14 which is secured to frame 12 and in conjuction with frame 12 provides a pressure tight and leak proof housing and rigid holder for keeping liners 13 in place and for preventing expansion of pipe 11 when worn . generally speaking , the composite elbow 10 of the invention is intended to be used in pipe lines having an inside diameter in the range of from about two inches to about eight inches and of relatively thin wall thickness . the bent pipe 11 is also intended to be relatively soft and ductile and will normally be formed of non - heat treated , mild steel . pipe 11 is thus adapted to be bent into the appropriate radius as illustrated and is formed with tangential end sections 11 &# 39 ; of appropriate length for being joined to other portions of the piping system in which the bend 10 of the invention is used such as by use of sleeve or flange couplings or welding . the bent portion of pipe 11 is of uniform bend . while the relatively soft and ductile type material is desirable for bending , it will also be immediately appreciated that when a band made of such material is employed to transfer abrasive material that the inner surface of the outer bend will be subject to abrasive attack and will gradually wear away in use to form an opening through which the abrasive material , unless otherwise contained , will be discharged into the space surrounding the location of the bend . the composite bend 10 of the invention is intended to provide a relatively long life wear surface , once such an opening forms in the outer bend of pipe 11 , and is also intended to provide a pressure tight and leak proof housing around such opening once it forms in service . referring back to the drawings , frame 12 consists of a series of metal side and end strips which are welded together and also welded to the surface of pipe 11 so as to circumscribe an area substantially exceeding the area in the outer bend portion 15 of pipe 11 in which an opening is typically formed by abrasive attack of the material being transferred through pipe 11 . the strip members of frame 12 may be typically attached together and to pipe 11 by light fillet weld and may generally follow the construction of the frame previously described in my prior u . s . pat . no . 4 , 130 , 300 . however , unlike the construction and method of prior pat . no . 4 , 130 , 300 , frame 12 in the present invention , when initially installed , will surround an uninterrupted continuous outer bend surface portion of pipe 11 and without an opening being preformed in pipe 11 as in the construction of the prior patent . this step of forming an opening in pipe 11 is thus avoided by the construction of the present invention . however , the size of the anticipated opening due to wear can be predicted from experience with the particular size pipe , radius of bend and material transferred and the area circumscribed by frame 12 can be defined accordingly . after frame 12 has been attached to pipe 11 , the relatively short half cylinder - shaped ceramic wear liners 13 are positioned in place on the outer bend portion 15 and are designed to rest together in a snug fit on their mating end surfaces and also to fit against the inner end rim surfaces 17 , 18 of frame 12 in a keystone - type arrangement . the respective ceramic wear liners 13 are also designed so as to be relatively shorth length with no curvature in the long direction and with a cross - sectional curvature to slip - fit and substantially match the outside surface curvature of the pipe . thus , each liner touches the pipe only in a middle portion of the liner . use of compound liner curvature is avoided and minimal gap space between the liners and the outer pipe surface is achieved . the outer flat bottom surfaces 30 of the respective wear liners rest on the respective inner side support surfaces 19 of frame 12 and frame 12 is formed to minimize the gap there . the ends 16 of liners 13 are angled or mitered to effect this snug - fit arrangement as illustrated at points 20 , 21 and 22 in fig6 . one of the advantages of the invention is that ceramic wear plates of the kind required for the invention are available from existing commercial sources according to the requirements of the invention . such wear liners are composed of a ceramic material processed at elevated temperatures and are fabricated to the desired shape and size and are available with longitudinal curvature . a substantially pure , high density , alumina ceramic is an especially suitable material for use in fabrication of the wear liners 13 . such a material is marketed by a . p . green refractories company of mexico , mo . the optimum liner inner diameter d , thickness t and length l illustrated in fig4 will vary depending upon the pipe diameter in which the liners are used . a representative liner for the present invention when applied to a pipe bend of 48 inch radius was 5 / 8 inches thick , 4 inches long and had an inner diameter of 4 1 / 2 inches . twenty such liners were used . the tangential sections 11 &# 39 ; were 4 1 / 2 inches long in the example given for each end of pipe 11 to facilitate appropriate coupling attachments . a suitably formed steel cover plate 14 is put into place on top of the liners 13 with the outer edges thereof resting on and welded or otherwise secured to frame 12 so as to provide a leak proof , pressure tight , steel housing with the appropriately curved top surface 23 of the liners 13 substantially conforming to the inner surface of cover plate 14 and the bottom surface 24 of the liners 13 being appropriately curved to substantially conform to the cross - sectional curvature of pipe 11 as best illustrated in fig5 , and 7 and in a slip - fit - like relation . as further illustrated in fig7 and 8 , once the bend is installed , the inner surface of pipe 11 at the outer bend portion will be subject to the maximum abrasive attack and ultimately will form an opening of substantial length and width when fully worn , as indicated by brackets 26 and 27 in fig3 and 8 . however , it will be noticed here that the projected width 27 and projected length 26 of the opening formed by the abrasive attack will provide an area of substantially less area than the contact area of the inner surface 21 of the ceramic liners 13 . further , by reason of the snug - fitting relation of the ceramic liners 13 being retained by the cover plate 14 , an essentially leak proof and pressure tight construction is provided without requiring the introduction of an epoxy or other bonding agent between the individual ceramic liners 13 as has been required in prior art practices . also , by prefitting pipe 11 with the frame , cover and liner arrangement of the invention prior to use and without forming an opening and by utilizing the relatively short liners as described minimal gap space is produced between the liners and the outer surface of the pipe opposite the inner surfaces of the liners mounted thereon . thus , a very practical abrasion resistant bend for small diameter pipelines has been achieved .
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in the following description , reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof , and which is shown , by way of illustration , an embodiment of the present invention . it is understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention . fig1 is a laser system block diagram . the present invention is directed to the calibration of an sgdbr laser controller 100 ( hereinafter referred to as a “ controller ”). the controller 100 monitors a multi - section , widely tunable sgdbr laser &# 39 ; s 102 ( hereinafter referred to as a “ aser ”) gain section voltage 104 , temperature 106 , and wavelength locker 108 signals . the wavelength locker signal 108 is produced from an external reference 110 ( a wavelength locker , alternatively referred to as an “ fp etalon ”). the laser 102 generally has a first or front mirror section ( sometimes referred to herein as “ fm ”), a second or back mirror section ( sometimes referred to herein as “ bm ”), a gain section for light generation ( sometimes referred to herein as “ gn ”), and a phase section provided to tune the output wavelength of the laser ( sometimes referred to herein as “ ph ”) each controlled with current inputs 112 . additionally , other sections may be incorporated onto the laser diode including , but not limited to a semiconductor optical amplifier , a modulator , or some other well - known component that may be fabricated on the same substrate as the laser . as shown in fig1 , the controller 100 adjusts each section &# 39 ; s current ( with inputs 102 ) and the laser &# 39 ; s temperature to maintain a fixed optical output 114 power and wavelength . the laser &# 39 ; s temperature is adjusted with a thermo - electric cooler 116 ( or “ tec ”), or some other well known cooling mechanism or method . the laser 102 is controlled to generate optical output 114 at a substantially continuous power - level . the controller 100 interfaces to a host ( not shown ) over a system interface 118 , which is typically a serial or parallel interface . the host commands the operation of the controller 100 and may be a personal computer , workstation , or some other well - known device capable of sending commands to the controller 100 through the system interface 118 . the controller 100 regulates the laser &# 39 ; s optical output 114 power and wavelength . the controller 100 operates in one of the following control modes , each of which shall be described in more detail hereinbelow : b . power and wavelength control using open loop control &# 39 ; s fixed operating points as the initial operating points and regulating the optical power and wavelength to a reference , c . gain voltage control using open loop controls fixed operating points as the initial operating points and regulating the laser mirror alignment with the cavity mode , and d . power , wavelength , and gain voltage control using open loop controls fixed operating points as the initial operating points . as shown in fig2 , in an open loop control mode , the controller 100 sets the laser optical output 114 power and wavelength by setting the laser section ( bm , ph , gn , fm and soa ) currents 112 from values in a look up table . it regulates the laser &# 39 ; s temperature to a fixed value by sending control code to the tec 116 . the look - up table values are generated by a calibration routine . the values are fixed over the lifetime of the laser 100 . the choice of the operating currents 112 , the current sources , and the temperature regulator guarantees maximum stability of the optical output 114 wavelength and power over the laser operating lifetime and ambient environmental conditions . in some embodiments of the invention , the controller can be implemented with “ open loop ” controller hardware as described above , however feedback is provided ( e . g . to control the mirror alignment ). thus , the controller operates in a closed loop with respect one or more of the laser control parameters ( e . g ., mirrors , gain , or phase ). control loops for power and / or wavelength control can also be applied . in addition , temperature regulation also can be operated under a closed loop control . as such , there is often no dear distinction between open and closed loop operation of the controller . the laser operating points are typically determined by one of three calibration routines : incremental calibration steps and locks the laser to each international telecommunications union ( itu ) wavelength channel using a calibrated wavelength locker as a reference 110 . see fig1 . it steps to the next channel by adjusting the phase current and locking the mirrors to the cavity mode with gain voltage control which shall be discussed in further detail hereinbelow . once at the channel the laser wavelength is locked to the channel by adjusting the phase current using wavelength control and the laser power to a predetermined set point by adjusting the gain current with power control . the process of incremental calibration starts with the first and second mirrors aligned at mirror reflectivity peak 0 and then steps to locate the next lower channel . at each cavity mode , the phase current is reset to its initial value and the search is continued . at the end of each mirror tuning range , the mirror currents are reset to the next mirror reflectivity peak , once the wavelength wraps around , the process is repeated at mirror reflectivity peak 0 by searching for the next upper channel . the process is as follows : set gain current at nominal operational current set mirrors at next reflectivity peak until ( end of mirror tuning range ) set phase current at minimum operational current ; and lock mirrors to cavity mode until ( passes cavity mode ) lock power and wavelength at channel and align mirrors record channel and currents ; and step to next channel with mirrors locked to phase mirror reflectivity peak calibration determines the mirror reflectivity peaks , generates the mirror tuning efficiency curves , and uses the curves to set the mirror currents for each channel . the process is as follows : sweep mirror with cavity mode aligned to mirror locate the gain voltage minima , which is the corresponding mirror reflectivity peak ; and record the currents set mirrors to channel using mirror tuning efficiency curve align phase section to the mirrors lock wavelength to channel using wavelength control lock power to set point using power control record the channel and current a two - dimensional mirror scan calibration of the present invention ( as may be employed for a small form factor tla ) determines the laser currents for operation at each itu channel and the power and wavelength and mirror control surfaces and operating points at each itu channel . the calibration procedure for the small form factor tla and laser involves the following steps : a . conduct two - dimensional mirror current scan with power leveling and wavelength locking applied to the tla 300 as set out in fig2 and fig3 , the two - dimensional scan steps the mirror currents over their operating range while the controller locks the gain current to a constant optical power and the phase current to an itu channel . the controller power and wavelength feedback is from a calibrated locker 302 and coupler / attenuator 304 . the locker 302 calibration value is fixed over the sweep . for example , the following procedure can be applied . a computer 306 ( e . g ., a pc ) sends over the interface 118 ( e . g ., a parallel interface ) to the tla 300 , the front mirror and back mirror currents , stepping them over their operating ranges . at each step , the tla 300 attempts to lock the optical power and optical wavelength to their setpoints using the gain and phase currents . also at each step , the tla 300 responds over the interface 118 to the computer 306 with the status of the gain and phase current control the gain and phase currents and the power 308 and wavelength 310 voltages ( the locker reference and etalon signals ). the resulting set of values is the two - dimensional scan data . as depicted in fig4 , the computer 306 uses the two - dimensional scan data to determine the operating regions . generally , the operating regions are the front and back mirror current regions of the two - dimensional scan data where the optical power and wavelength remain locked to a channel the computer 306 determines the center of an operating region , sets the tla 300 at that point , and measures the channel number at that point from a channel detector 400 . the computer 306 generates a table of channel numbers and operating currents and boundaries of the operating regions , representing a two - dimensional control surface for the laser . however , in some embodiments of the invention operating regions are not simply detected by looking for boundaries where wavelength and power are not locked . for example , for some channels etalon and reference signals , as measured by the locker 302 , will remain locked over the entire map except for those points where cavity mode hops ( not supermode hops ) occur . this occurs because the cavity mode spacing , detuned off the bragg wavelength ( i . e . off of perfect mirror alignment ), is typically slightly less than the locker channel spacing ( e . g ., 50 or 100 ghz ). instead , a more sophisticated channel detection technique can be employed which searches for “ cusps ” ( regions of discontinuity , such as indicated by discontinuity in first derivative ) of the phase or gain ( or amplifier ) current surface or gain voltage surface of the two - dimensional scan data . this approach will detect both cavity - mode hops and supermode hops which completely bound the operating region of each channel . furthermore , embodiments of the invention can also include an operating point fixup process . using this process , the computer 306 performs a more accurate recentering of the operating point within the mode after reineasuring mode boundaries with the locker etalon and reference target values that have been adjusted on a per channel basis to m ze wavelength and power errot . as shown in the block diagram of fig5 , using the two - dimensional control surface scan the computer 306 sets the tla 300 at a channel , using the operating point currents as determined above . it sets the power and wavelength control setpoints for that channel and the tla 300 relocks to the channel . the locker power and wavelength calibration is known at each channel . it generates the gain and phase current control surfaces about the operating point the tla responds with the channel : status of control , gain , phase , and mirror currents and the control surfaces . the computer 306 records the calibrated gain , phase , and mirror operating currents at the calibrated optical power and wavelength setpoints and the center of the control surfaces . in other words , the control surface extremum is returned . in operation , however , the gain voltage control surface can be used to control the laser as described hereafter . the computer 306 then takes the control surface data for each channel and generates a corresponding lookup table . the lookup table can then be programmed into the controller 100 of the tla 300 . as shown in fig6 , the controller 100 includes current sources 600 which drive each of the laser &# 39 ; s phase , mirror , amplifier , and gain sections . the current sources 600 are comprised of a voltage reference 602 , individual 16 - bit digital - to - analog converters 604 ( dacs ), and voltage - to - current ( vi ) converter 606 . the dacs 604 connect to a digital signal processor ( dsp ) synchronous serial port ( ssp ) 608 through a programmable - logic device 610 ( pld ). the pld 610 provides a logic interface between the dsp ssp 608 and the dacs 600 . each vi converter 606 translates the corresponding dac 604 voltage output to a proportional current that drives a corresponding laser section . as depicted in fig7 , a modified howland current source mhcs ) can be used as the voltage - to - current converter 606 . a current mirror 700 , such as that shown in fig8 , is preferably added to the output stage of the amplifier 702 to increase the drive current beyond that of the amplifier 702 alone . a filter stage 704 was added at the load 706 to reduce noise . the current mirror 700 inverts the output of the amplifier 702 , which requires the source , v in , at the inverting node of the amplifier 702 . the current mirror 700 operates at a fixed gain that is determined , primely , by the ratio of the resistors 800 in the emitter leads of the transistor 802 . a resistor - capacitor ( rc ) compensation network 804 is added to insure stability of the amplifier 702 and current mirror 700 . the gain of the current is variable up to a maximum ratio . the maximum ratio is determined by the additional drift introduced by heating of the transistor 802 and sense resistor 806 and the maximum thermal loss that can be sustained by the transistor 802 and sense resistor 806 . if additional gain is requited , an additional q mo & amp ; r mo section can be added to the mirror 700 . as shown in fig9 , the power and wavelength controller 100 uses open loop control and feedback 900 from an external wavelength locker 902 ( fp etalon ) reference to lock the laser optical output power and wavelength to the reference . power and wavelength control compensates for drift in the controller current sources 600 and the laser 102 operating points over time and temperature . the power and wavelength controls may operate independently or interdependently . the least complex control algorithm is where the controls operate independently . each control algorithm induces changes in one current or temperature independent of the other . the control algorithms are classical proportional , integral control routines . for example , the following algorithm can be applied : gain current ( ign ), or current to a soa ( if integrated into the laser ). in most cases , gain current is used on four - section devices , and amplifier current is used on five - section devices . current to the semiconductor optical amplifier ( soa ) instead of current to the gain section can be used in all cases concerning power control or power leveling when an amplifier section is present on the laser chip . gain voltage control ( see section 7 ) may be used in either case . however , when gain voltage control is combined with gain current - based power control , power control must be interrupted ( i . e . gain current held constant ) during acquisition of a gain voltage control surface . the independent control algorithm is slower and in its response to changes in the optical power output and optical wavelength . the mirrors and cavity mode become misaligned as the control algorithm adjusts the gain and phase currents from their predefined values . the quality of the optical output may be reduced as a result of decreased side mode suppression ratio . additionally , the probability of a mode hop ( wavelength shift ) is increased as the mirrors and cavity mode become misaligned . the interdependent control algorithm induces primary changes in one current or temperature and corrects for secondary changes in the other currents with an adaptive filter or estimator . this compensates for wavelength shifts or power changes and mirror misaligment induced when the control adjusts its primary variable . using an interdependent power and wavelength control algorithm as follows : wavelength is stabilized by adjusting the phase current ( i ph ) by an adaptive filter ; and mirror currents are realigned by a fixed estimator , wavelength is adjusted by the phase current ( i ph ) or the carrier temperature power is stabilized by adjusting the gain current ( i gn ) by an adaptive filter ; and mirror currents are realigned by a fixed estimator . the interdependent controls provide more robust , stable , and faster convergence of the power and wavelength to its reference value . gain voltage control uses feedback from the laser gain section voltage to keep the mirrors aligned with the cavity mode . it aligns the mirrors by minimizing the laser gain section voltage . the laser gain section voltage minimum is where the cavity loss is a minimum , roughly corresponding to maximum optical power output , wavelength stability , and side mode suppression ratio . more specifically , the gain voltage minimum corresponds to the minimum loss condition when parasitic electrical effects are accounted for , but gain spectrum effects offset the minimum from mode center in a characteristic fashion . additional output power may be achieved using certain techniques , such as by misaligning the front mirror , however , in such a case , other characteristics may suffer , such as the side mode suppression ratio . gain - voltage control can be implemented in the dsp using a numerical minima search or a least mean squares ( lms ) quadratic estimator . alternately , gain voltage control can be implemented in analog circuitry using a phase locker circuit ( pl ). a digital signal processor ( alternatively referred to as a “ dsp ”) may be used to implement the gain voltage control , as shown in fig1 . the dsp dithers the laser mirror currents 1000 , 1002 and monitors the laser gain section voltage 1004 . it uses a numerical algorithm to align the mirrors by locating the minima of the laser gain section voltage . use three data points ( mirror current , gain voltage ) and estimate the slope of the gain voltage curve with respect to the mirror current , step toward the gain voltage minima and calculate the next data point , use the new data point and the two best points to re - estimate the slope of the gain voltage curve , continue the above step process , continually searching for the gain voltage minima . the minima search algorithm may be susceptible to wandering around the gain voltage minima due to noise in the sampled gain voltage signal . the wandering is reflected as drift and noise on the optical signal the lms estimator reduces the wander and noise by using an array of data points to estimate the gain voltage surface , in effect , filtering the noise . the lms estimator converges to the gain voltage minima faster and smoother than the minima search for fixed phase and gain section currents , the gain section voltage can be modeled using a causal volterra series expansion over 2 input signals , the front mirror and back mirror currents . for dithering signals in the sub - 100 khz regime , the analog circuitry and the device itself allow a memoryless model , so a 5 - tap adaptive quadratic filter model will suffice . the lms estimator can then be achieved using either of two classic adaptive filter update algorithms : a standard gradient descent adaptation ( ms or block lms algorithm ) or a recursive least squares adaptation ( rls algorithm — based on newton &# 39 ; s method ). the rls algorithm approach is used to achieve faster convergence of adaptive linear filters when the signals driving the system do not have sufficient spectral flatness to allow a rapid gradient descent . however , in the case of adaptive linear filters , the gradient descent approach converges just as fast as the rls approach when white noise can be used to drive the system . recently published results indicate that comparable rates of convergence can be achieved with adaptive quadratic filters if a minor filter structure modification is used and ( pseudo ) gaussian white noise can be used to drive the system . there are two advantages of this lms estimator approach . first , an initial tap - vector can be stored along with the four drive currents in the laser calibration table in flash memory ( resulting in much faster convergence ). second , the adaptation step size can be reduced as the system converges , reducing steady - state misadjustment in the mirror section currents . because of the aforementioned gain spectrum effects , the optimum setpoints for the mirror currents are actually offset from the gain voltage minimum . therefore , the objective is not to converge to the minimum , but to use an lms estimator to sense where the minimum would be based on the measured gain voltage surface in the vicinity of the operating point the control system adjusts the mirror currents to operate at a calibrated current offset from the estimate of the minimum . an exemplary lms estimator can use five independent data points to determine the surface . the lms algorithm : dithers the mirror currents in a linearly independent fashion about the operating point where , a point lies in each quadrant ; and the step size is less than the power and wavelength accuracy ; collects the gain and phase current at the mirror current when the power and wavelength are within control tolerance ; runs the lms estimator over the data set ( at least five independent points ); resets the mirror operating point to the distance from the inflection points on the surface . the lms algorithm continually operates in the background and the five - parameter fit to the quadratic control surface is : r · ( f + s 2 r ) 2 + n · ( b + m 2 n ) 2 + c - s 2 4 · r - m 2 4 · n simplify → r · f 2 + s · f + n · b 2 + m · b + c the parameters r and n define the surface curvature for the front and back mirror currents respectively . the parameters s and m define the offset of the surface extremum . the parameter c defines the offset of the surface . the independent variables f and b are the front mirror current and the back mirror current the result maps the quadratic surface of the gain current or phase current . the extremums are at : f = - s 2 r b = - m 2 n ( r s n m c ) = ( sffff sfff sffbb sffb sff sfff sff sfbb sfb sf sffbb sfbb sbbbb sbbb sbb sffb sfb sbbb sbb sb sff sf sbb sb n ) - 1 · ( szff szf szbb szb sz ) where s denotes a summation over the data points of the terms multiplied together and z is the current of the surface . the distance is the df and db from the extremums . the above technique is preferably used with the gain voltage surface . in general , there is a significant cross term ( f * b ) in the gain voltage surface , which goes to zero in the wavelength - locked case . in this case , therefore , a much simpler fit can be performed independently on the front and back mirror dither using three fitting parameters , and the resulting extremum is calculated . the digital algorithms implemented in the dsp are limited in speed and accuracy by the analog to digital converter ( adc ) and digital to analog converter ( dac ) as well as the signal to noise ratio ( snr ) of the circuit an analog gain voltage control is set out in fig1 . the analog phase locker &# 39 ; s speed and accuracy is limited substantially only by the snr of the circuit . the analog phase locker ( pl ) is a high speed , analog locking loop . it can be realized by a phase lock loop ( ppl ) or rf dither locker . the pl works with the open loop control circuit . the output of the pl adds to the output of the open loop control current sources . for example , the gain voltage 1100 can be applied to separate pl circuits 1102 a , 1102 b of the controller 100 . as shown in fig1 , an exemplary pl 1102 uses a high frequency narrowband stimulus 1200 to dither the mirror current . the pl 1102 measures the gain voltage ( v g ) 1202 with a tuned , narrowband amplifier 1204 and extracts the phase difference between stimulus and measured signal with a phase comparator 1206 . the pl 1102 also drives an error amplifier that adjusts the mirror current to the gain voltage minima and is sampled by an adc 1208 . the pl error amplifier output is measured by the dsp . the dsp adjusts the mirror current values in the open loop control lookup table to reduce the error to zero . the dsp effectively operates as an integrator function . fig1 illustrates the combined operation of analog gain voltage control circuits to correct the outputs to the two mirrors from the open loop digital controller . the digital memory / dsp 1300 can set a first approximation current and voltage from a lookup table . the analog correction circuits 1102 a , 1102 b can provide feedback and correction signals to the device as described previously , and the digital controller then monitors the correction signals 1302 , 1304 and readjusts the currents and voltages to have the feedback currents from the analog correction portions approach zero . this allows for correction of the laser controller over the life of the sgdbr laser , and accounts for changes in operating temperatures and conditions as well as changes in the operation of the sgdbr laser internal components . gain and phase current control such as that shown in fig1 , uses the extremum point ( the maximum or minimum value of a function ) of the gain voltage surface ( as proxy for the gain and phase current surfaces ) to keep the mirrors aligned with the cavity mode . it aligns the mirrors by operating the mirror currents at a fixed distance from the control surface extremums . the distance and extremums are determined during calibration . the mirror operating point corresponds to best - cost function that maximizes the optical power output , wavelength and power stability , and side mode suppression ratio . gain and phase current control operates in conjunction with power and wavelength control . gain and phase current control can be implemented in the dsp using a least mean squares ( lms ) quadratic surface estimator , such as that previously described . the dsp dithers the laser mirror currents while operating under power and wavelength control and records the gain and phase currents when the control loops are within tolerance . it can estimate a fit to the gain voltage surface as a function of the front and back mirror currents . alternately , it can estimate a five - parameter fit to the quadratic control surface for the gain current and the phase current as a function of the front and back mirror currents . it sets the mirror currents at a distance from the surface extremums . the power , wavelength , and gain voltage controller 100 operates the power and wavelength control and gain voltage control simultaneously . the foregoing description of the preferred embodiment of the invention has been presented for the purposes of illustration and description . it is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed . many modifications and variations ate possible in light of the above teaching . it is not intended that the scope of the invention be limited by this detailed description . this concludes the description of the preferred embodiment of the present invention . the foregoing description of the embodiments of the invention has been presented for the purposes of illustration and description . it is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed . many modifications and variations ate possible in light of the above teaching . it is intended that the scope of the invention be limited not by this detailed description , but rather by the claims appended hereto .
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the preferred embodiments of the present invention provide significant advantages of ultrasonic differential time of flight ( tof ) measurement techniques in a fluid medium over methods of the prior art as will become evident from the following detailed description . referring to fig2 , there is a mixer based measurement circuit of the present invention for measuring differential time of flight ( δt ) of ultrasonic signals in a fluid medium . here and in the following discussion , some circuit functions may be realized in hardware , software , or a combination of hardware and software as will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art having access to the instant specification . this circuit advantageously converts ultrasonic transducer signals to a lower intermediate frequency ( if ), thereby permitting a lower analog to digital converter ( adc ) sampling rate . referring back to fig1 , signal r 12 is the ultrasonic signal produced by transducer ut 1 and received from transducer ut 2 as given by equation 4 likewise , signal r 21 is the ultrasonic signal produced by transducer ut 2 and received from transducer ut 1 as given by equation 5 . the center frequency of the transmitting transducer is f c , and f ( t ) is the envelope of the received signal . r 12 = f ( t ) sin ( 2π f c t ) [ 4 ] r 21 = f ( t + δt ) sin ( 2π f c ( t + δt )) [ 5 ] the receiver transducer 200 of fig2 preferably receives the signals of equations [ 4 ] and [ 5 ] alternately so that transducer ut 1 transmits when transducer ut 2 receives , and transducer ut 2 transmits when transducer ut 1 receives . the received signals are amplified by programmable gain amplifier ( pga ) 202 and applied to mixer circuits 204 and 206 . mixer circuit 204 multiplies the received signal by the modulating signal sin ( 2π ( f c + δf ) t ) and applies the resulting in phase signal to low pass filter ( lpf ) 208 . mixer circuit 206 multiplies the received signal by the modulating signal cos ( 2π ( fc + δf ) t ) and applies the resulting quadrature signal to low pass filter ( lpf ) 210 . here , δf is a frequency error term of the mixer frequency with respect to the transducer center frequency . the output signals from in phase mixer 204 are given by equations [ 6 ] and [ 7 ]. the output signals from quadrature mixer 206 are given by equations [ 8 ] and [ 9 ]. r i 12 ( t )= f ( t ) sin ( 2 πf c t ) sin ( 2π ( f c + δf ) t ) [ 6 ] r i 21 ( t )= f ( t + δt ) sin ( 2π f c ( t + δt )) sin ( 2π ( f c + δf ) t ) [ 7 ] r q 12 ( t )= f ( t ) sin ( 2 πf c t ) cos ( 2π ( f c + δf ) t ) [ 8 ] r q 21 ( t )= f ( t + δt ) sin ( 2 πf c ( t + δt )) cos ( 2π ( f c + δf ) t ) [ 9 ] the output signals from lpf 208 are given by equations [ 10 ] and [ 11 ]. the output signals from lpf 210 are given by equations [ 12 ] and [ 13 ]. here , the signal pair of equations [ 11 ] and [ 13 ] is not a delayed version of the signal pair of equations [ 10 ] and [ 12 ]. by way of contrast , the received signal of equation [ 5 ] is a delayed version of the signal of equation [ 4 ]. { tilde over ( r )} i 12 ( t )= f ( t ) sin ( 2 πδft ) [ 10 ] { tilde over ( r )} i 21 ( t )= f ( t + δt ) sin ( 2π ( f c δt + δft )) [ 11 ] { tilde over ( r )} q 12 ( t )= f ( t ) cos ( 2 πδft ) [ 12 ] { tilde over ( r )} q 21 ( t )= f ( t + δt ) cos ( 2π ( f c δt + δft )) [ 13 ] analog to digital converter ( adc ) 212 converts the analog signals from lpf 208 ( equations [ 10 ] and [ 11 ]) to digital signals and applies them to signal processing circuit 216 likewise , adc 214 converts the analog signals from lpf 210 ( equations [ 12 ] and [ 13 ]) to digital signals and applies them to signal processing circuit 216 . processing circuit 216 is preferably a digital signal processor and estimates the differential tof ( 60 according to equation [ 14 ]. referring now to fig3 a , there is a circuit diagram of an ultrasonic intermediate frequency ( if ) sampling based receiver of the present invention for measuring fluid flow differential time of flight ( δt ) of ultrasonic signals in a fluid medium . here and in the following discussion , the same reference numerals are used to indicate substantially the same circuit elements . the receiver transducer 200 of fig3 a preferably receives the signals of equations [ 4 ] and [ 5 ] alternately so that transducer ut 1 transmits when transducer ut 2 receives , and transducer ut 2 transmits when transducer ut 1 receives . the received signals are amplified by programmable gain amplifier ( pga ) 202 and applied to anti aliasing filter 300 . the output signal from anti aliasing filter 300 is then applied to analog - to - digital converter ( adc ) 302 . this embodiment of the present invention advantageously samples the received signal from anti aliasing filter 300 at an intermediate frequency ( if ) so that adc 302 may sample at a lower frequency as given by equation [ 15 ]. the corresponding sample time is given by equation [ 16 ]. here , k is an integer indicating the sampling frequency , and n is an integer indicating the n th sample . adc 302 preferably alternately produces the sample signals of equations [ 17 ] and [ 18 ] at a sampling rate determined by equations [ 15 ] and [ 16 ]. equations [ 17 ] and [ 18 ] are simplified and rewritten as equations [ 19 ] and [ 20 ]. for k even and n = 0 , 1 , 2 , 3 , r 12 ( n ) is given by equations [ 19 ] through [ 22 ], respectively . the pattern of equations [ 19 ] through [ 22 ] repeats for larger n . r 12 ( 0 )= f ( t samp 0 + t off ) sin ( 2π f c t off ) [ 19 ] r 12 ( 1 )= f ( t samp 1 + t off ) cos ( 2π f c t off ) [ 20 ] r 12 ( 2 )=− f ( t samp 2 + t off ) sin ( 2π f c t off ) [ 21 ] r 12 ( 3 )=− f ( t samp 3 + t off ) cos ( 2π f c t off ) [ 22 ] for k odd and n = 0 , 1 , 2 , 3 , r 12 ( n ) is given by equations [ 23 ] through [ 26 ], respectively . the pattern of equations [ 23 ] through [ 26 ] repeats for larger n . r 12 ( 0 )= f ( t samp 0 + t off ) sin ( 2π f c t off ) [ 23 ] r 12 ( 1 )=− f ( t samp 1 + t off ) cos ( 2π f c t off ) [ 24 ] r 12 ( 2 )=− f ( t samp 2 + t off ) sin ( 2π f c t off ) [ 25 ] r 12 ( 3 )= f ( t samp 3 + t off ) cos ( 2π f c t off ) [ 26 ] similarly , for k even and n = 0 , 1 , 2 , 3 , r 21 ( n ) is given by equations [ 27 ] through [ 30 ], respectively . the pattern of equations [ 27 ] through [ 30 ] repeats for larger n . r 21 ( 0 )= f ( t samp 0 + t off + δt ) sin ( 2π f c ( t off + δt )) [ 27 ] r 21 ( 1 )= f ( t samp 1 + t off + δt ) cos ( 2π f c ( t off + δt )) [ 28 ] r 21 ( 2 )=− f ( t samp 2 + t off + δt ) sin ( 2π f c ( t off + δt )) [ 29 ] r 21 ( 3 )=− f ( t samp 3 + t off + δt ) cos ( 2π f c ( t off + δt )) [ 30 ] likewise , for k odd and n = 0 , 1 , 2 , 3 , r 21 ( n ) is given by equations [ 31 ] through [ 34 ], respectively . the pattern of equations [ 31 ] through [ 34 ] repeats for larger n . r 21 ( 0 )= f ( t samp 0 + t off + δt ) sin ( 2π f c ( t off + δt )) [ 31 ] r 21 ( 1 )=− f ( t samp 1 + t off + δt ) cos ( 2π f c ( t off + δt )) [ 32 ] r 21 ( 2 )=− f ( t samp 2 + t off + δt ) sin ( 2π f c ( t off + δt )) [ 33 ] r 21 ( 3 )=− f ( t samp 3 + t off + δt ) cos ( 2π f c ( t off + δt )) [ 34 ] the sine terms for r 12 and k even are collected from equations [ 19 ], [ 21 ], and repeated n in equation [ 35 ]. the cosine terms for r 12 and k even are collected from equations [ 20 ], [ 22 ], and repeated n in equation [ 36 ]. r keven 12 ( n )={ f ( t samp 0 + t off ),− f ( t samp 2 + t off ), . . . } sin ( 2π f c t off ) [ 35 ] r keven 12 ( n )={ f ( t samp 1 + t off ),− f ( t samp 3 + t off ), . . . } cos ( 2π f c t off ) [ 36 ] similarly , the sine terms for r 21 and k even are collected from equations [ 27 ], [ 29 ], and repeated n in equation [ 37 ]. the cosine terms for r 12 and k even are collected from equations [ 28 ], [ 30 ], and repeated n in equation [ 38 ]. r keven 21 ( n )={ f ( t samp 0 + t off δt ),− f ( t samp 2 + t off + δt ), . . . } sin ( 2π f c ( t off + δt )) [ 37 ] r keven 21 ( n )={ f ( t samp 1 + t off δt ),− f ( t samp 3 + t off + δt ), . . . } cos ( 2π f c ( t off + δt )) [ 38 ] comparing the sine terms of equation [ 35 ] with those of equation [ 37 ] and the cosine terms of equation [ 36 ] with those of equation [ 38 ], the sampling functions differ in time by offset δt . the cosine terms of equations [ 36 ] through [ 38 ], therefore , are interpolated to match the timing of the sine terms in equations [ 39 ] and [ 42 ], respectively . r keven , sin 12 ( n )={ f ( t samp 0 + t off ),− f ( t samp 2 + t off ), . . . } sin ( 2π f c t off ) [ 39 ] r keven , cos 12 , int ( n )={ { tilde over ( f )} ( t samp 0 + t off ),− { tilde over ( f )} ( t samp 2 + t off ), . . . } cos ( 2π f c t off ) [ 40 ] r keven , sin 21 ( n )={ f ( t samp 0 + t off ),− f ( t samp 2 + t off ), . . . } sin ( 2π f c t off ) [ 41 ] r keven , cos 21 , int ( n )={ { tilde over ( f )} ( t samp 0 + t off + δt ),− { tilde over ( f )} ( t samp 2 + t off + δt ), . . . } cos ( 2π f c t off ) [ 42 ] referring to fig3 b , there is a signal processing circuit 304 to perform the foregoing calculations in equations [ 39 ] through [ 42 ]. sine terms from adc 302 are applied to sum circuit 310 where they are accumulated and applied to processing circuit 312 . cosine terms from adc 302 are interpolated by block 306 and applied to sum circuit 308 . sum circuit 308 accumulates the cosine terms and applies them to processing circuit 312 . processing circuit 312 estimates the differential tof ( δt ) according to equation [ 43 ]. estimation accuracy of the differential tof ( δt ) of equation [ 43 ] relies on the fact that the summed f sampling coefficients of equations [ 39 ] through [ 42 ] are close to each other in time . of course , for increasing δt , the estimation error also increases . transmitting a larger number of pulses from each transducer reduces the variation of the summed f sampling coefficients by increasing signal duration and , therefore , improves accuracy . at least a 1 % measurement accuracy is desirable . a most demanding condition for this measurement is assumed for a differential tof of approximately 3 ns . this corresponds to a 6 cm transducer spacing and a 5 cm / s flow rate . a 1 % error for this condition requires an error of less than 30 ps for a 6σ measurement . fig4 is graph illustrating farrow cubic interpolation that may be used with the circuit of fig3 b as in equations [ 40 ] and [ 42 ]. this and other interpolation techniques are disclosed by erup et al ., “ interpolation in digital modems — part ii : implementation and performance ”, ieee trans . on communications , vol . 41 , no . 6 , 998 - 1008 ( june 1993 ). the principle of farrow cubic interpolation is given by equation [ 44 ]. here , λ is the interpolation factor and k is the output sample index . to is the time between output samples and ti is the time between input samples . in a preferred embodiment of the present invention , λ is ½ . if the adc sampling frequency is taken as 4 / 3 ( 1 . 733 mhz ) or ⅘ ( 1 . 04 mhz ) of the transducer excitation frequency , it is only necessary to interpolate the summed cosine ( q channel ) terms . according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention , this may be accomplished by dividing a 5 . 2 mhz clock by 4 to produce the 1 . 3 mhz excitation frequency . the same 5 . 2 mhz clock may be divided by 3 to produce a 1 . 733 mhz sampling frequency or by 5 to produce a 1 . 04 mhz sampling frequency . both the excitation frequency and the sampling frequency , therefore , are advantageously synchronized . although some variation of sampling frequency with respect to excitation frequency is possible , the sampling frequency is preferably constrained to +/− 5 % of the target sampling frequency . each x (.) term of equation [ 44 ] represents a sampled input f (.) from equations [ 36 ] and [ 38 ]. these input terms are used to interpolate output terms y ( k ) or { tilde over ( f )}(.) terms of equations [ 40 ] and [ 42 ], respectively . these interpolated terms are time shifted so that they are aligned with the summed sine ( i channel ) terms . thus , the superscripts of the interpolated terms are changed to match the summed cosine terms . fig5 a is diagram showing the pulse excitation signal applied to a transmitting transducer as 1 , 10 , or 20 pulses for transmission to receiving transducer . fig5 b is graph showing the signal at the receiving transducer in response to 1 , 10 , and 20 pulses at a transmitting transducer . preferred embodiments of the present invention utilize transducers with a center frequency ( f c ) of 1 . 3 mhz . however , other transducers and different center frequencies may also be used . the diagram illustrates the resonance of a transmitting transducer in response to 1 , 10 , and 20 input pulses . in each case , the envelope of the resonant signal rises to a peak amplitude corresponding to the duration of the pulses . after this the envelope of each signal decays as in a typical rlc circuit . for example , 20 pulses at 1 . 3 mhz have a duration of t = 20 / 1 . 3e6 = 15 . 4 μs . a 10 pulse excitation signal has a duration of t = 10 / 1 . 3e6 = 7 . 7 μs . several simulations are given at fig6 - 9 for various numbers of input pulses to demonstrate the accuracy of the measurement system of fig3 a for a transducer center frequency ( f c ) of 1 . 3 mhz . results for 15 different conditions are summarized at the table in fig1 . referring now to fig6 , there is graph showing accuracy of the measurement circuit of fig3 a compared to zero crossing and cross correlation measurement techniques . the vertical scale is root mean squared ( rms ) error of the differential tof estimation as a function of noise . simulations show less than 1 % rms for all if sampling except 1 . 04 mhz sampling and 20 pulse transmission at 5 ns δt and 1 . 733 mhz sampling and 1 pulse transmission at 5 ns δt . other simulations , however , show low tolerance to noise . if sampling at 1 . 04 mhz sampling and 20 pulse transmission at 100 ns δt and 1 . 733 mhz sampling and 20 pulse transmission at 100 ns δt maintain less than 1 % rms error to 40 dbnv / sqrt ( hz ). referring now to fig7 , there is graph showing accuracy of the measurement circuit of fig3 a compared to zero crossing and cross correlation measurement techniques with different numbers of adc bits and different numbers of transducer excitation pulses . the vertical scale is root mean squared ( rms ) error of the differential tof estimation as a function of noise . all if sampling simulations are at 1 . 733 mhz . the greatest noise tolerance is 20 pulse transmission at either 5 ns or 100 ns δt . both maintain less than 1 % rms error to 40 dbnv / sqrt ( hz ). referring now to fig8 , there is graph showing accuracy of the measurement circuit of fig3 a for a 12 - bit adc having positive sampling frequency misalignment with respect to the optimal adc sampling frequency accuracy of the measurement circuit of fig3 a compared to zero crossing and cross correlation measurement techniques . the vertical scale is root mean squared ( rms ) error of the differential tof estimation as a function of noise . all if sampling simulations compare results of a desired 1 . 733 mhz sampling frequency with positive sampling frequency errors of 0 . 2 %, 1 %, and 5 %. referring now to fig9 , there is graph showing accuracy of the measurement circuit of fig3 a for a 12 - bit adc having negative sampling frequency misalignment with respect to the optimal adc sampling frequency accuracy of the measurement circuit of fig3 a compared to zero crossing and cross correlation measurement techniques . the vertical scale is root mean squared ( rms ) error of the differential tof estimation as a function of noise . all if sampling simulations compare results of a desired 1 . 733 mhz sampling frequency with negative sampling frequency errors of − 0 . 2 % and − 1 %. fig1 is a table summarizing accuracy of the measurement circuit of fig3 a for various conditions . these conditions include variation of adc sampling frequency , number of adc bits , differential tof ( δt ), and number of transducer pulses . still further , while numerous examples have thus been provided , one skilled in the art should recognize that various modifications , substitutions , or alterations may be made to the described embodiments while still falling within the inventive scope as defined by the following claims . other combinations will be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art having access to the instant specification .
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in this description of embodiments , similar reference numbers are used to indicate similar features throughout the embodiments . fig1 shows a first embodiment of a contact lens 1 on an eye with upper eyelid 2 and lower eyelid 3 . contact lens 1 has an optical zone with a central optical zone 4 and a presbyopia correcting further optical zone 5 radially outside the central optical zone . around the further optical zone 5 , contact lens 1 has a ramped ridge 6 which has several friction areas 7 on the ridge below the further optical zone 5 . fig2 shows an example of a friction area according to the invention , in which a sem picture is shown of a friction area which has a sinusoid surface with an amplitude of at least 2 . 5 μm and a wavelength of about 70 μm in both the x - and y - directions . the sinusoids in this embodiment have sub - μm form accuracy with a surface finish on the order of 100 nm . these types of sinusoidal surfaces can be machined using a single point diamond tool with a commercial fast tool servo on a diamond turning machine . for example machining could be performed with a precitech nanoform 200 or contamac diatop diamond turning machine . in these types of machines , the work piece is mounted on the spindle of the machine tool and rotates clockwise . a fast tool servo system is mounted on the tool slide and is oriented so that its stroke is parallel to the z - axis , perpendicular to the face of the work piece . a single point diamond cutting tool is mounted in the fast tool servo , and the height of the cutting edge is carefully set so that it cuts to the center of the work piece . to machine the surface of the work piece , the machine spindle ( the c - axis ) rotates the work piece clockwise , and the motion of the x - axis moves the diamond tool relative to the work piece such that the tool travels from right to left relative to the work piece , from the outer edge toward the center of rotation . the stroke of the fast tool servo is slaved to the c - axis and the x - axis , both of which contain high resolution encoders that constantly read the angular orientation of the machine spindle , θ , and the distance of the diamond tool tip from the axis of rotation of the machine spindle , r . in other words , the fast tool servo is programmed so that its stroke is a function of the encoder readings , θ and r . and the tool path is three dimensional ( 3d ) corrected . a desired form of the surface machined by the fast tool servo is given by eq . ( 1 ), where the amplitude , a , is 2 . 5 μm , and the wavelength , λ , is 70 μm . in eq . ( 1 ), x and y lie in the work piece coordinate system . r and θ lie in the machine tool coordinate system , where r corresponds to the x - axis of the machine tool and θ corresponds to the c - axis of the machine tool to produce a desired form of the machined work piece surface , the fast tool servo preferably is programmed to account for the finite nose radius of the cutting tool . characteristics of a slip off resistance surface structure according to the invention are : knurled but not rough in a sense that the structured surface could irritate the sensitive membrane at the inside of the eyelid . height and width of the structure is variable to give maximum slip off resistance structure could be raised or recessed size and place could be anywhere on the lens , outside the optical zone . the size width and structure of the knurled surface could be varied for different locations . for instance at the bottom part less resistance and at a higher part ( direction top of the lens ) more resistance to have a controlled movement or stabilisation . the structure could be in the shape of a so called lotus texture . so it has a self cleaning micro texture to reduce deposits on the structured area . structure could be manufactured either on the lens or on a optical mould insert used for cast moulding or spin casting . structure could be manufactured by means of : single point diamond turning laser ablation edm ( electric discharge machining ) micro sandblasting the surface structure is not limited to a sinoid surface but could be of any type suitable to increase the slip - off resistance needed to help the lens translating or rotation stabilisation during the eye movement when the eye changes to downward gaze . characteristic of a bifocal lens with stabilisation according to the invention , additional to what already has been disclosed in ep0858613a1 ( procornea ): distance part continuous in the lower part circular between 1 and 2 . 2 mm below centre . at the lower part of the peripheral stabilisation a recess with a depth near to the level off the distance part to avoid the build up off a tear meniscus who could disturb the vision quality . the lens could be a toric lens , toric multifocal , toric bifocal . fig4 shows a further embodiment of a contact lens 1 on an eye with upper eyelid 2 and lower eyelid 3 . contact lens 1 has an optical zone with a central optical zone 4 and a presbyopia correcting further optical zone 5 radially outside the central optical zone . at the lower portion , outside the further optical zone 5 in the outer radial area , contact lens 1 has a ramped ridge 6 which has several friction areas 7 on the ridge below the further optical zone 5 . this contact lens is further provided with two additional elevated areas 8 that preferably are dome - shaped and smoothly extend from the surface of the contact lens 1 . these areas are situated on the upper half of the contact lens 1 . fig5 shows another embodiment of a contact lens 1 according to the invention . this contact lens 1 has two ridges 9 , 9 ′ at both sides of a mirror line through contact lens 1 . these two ridges extend concentrically over a least part of the circumference of the contact lens , outside the optical zone . at the lower part where the ridges start , friction areas 10 , 10 ′ are provided . the space between the two ridges 9 allows eye fluid to leave the lens and not build up in the optical areas 4 , 5 . in cross section , the ridges 9 , 9 ′ preferably have a smooth , continuous slope . fig6 shows another embodiment of a contact lens 1 with a fully circumferential ridge 11 . on this ridge , several friction areas 12 are provided . fig7 shows a cross section through the lens of fig6 . the contact lens 1 has a concave inner surface 13 which during wearing floats on an the eye , and an outer surface 14 . in this cross section the ridge 6 is indicated . in this embodiment the contact lens is not prismatic : at the optical area side of the ridge , the ridge slopes downward and the contact lens has its normal thickness . in a prismatic lens , the thickness of the contact lens would from the top of the ridge would decrease slowly until the current thickness would be reached at the other side ( where numeral 1 is placed ) of the lens . in this fig7 it is furthermore indicated that the height of the ridge is maximal at the lower side of the contact lens , and slowly decreases to about zero at the upper side ( where numeral 1 is placed ). in fig8 a detail of the ridge - part of fig7 is shown . this ridge 6 has a smooth , continuous contour and smoothly extends from the general outer surface 14 of the contact lens 1 . clearly shown is the friction area 7 in cross section , showing the wavelets which were here made in the surface of the ridge , at a location which is radially away from the optical zone . with a so called soft contact lens which has a diameter larger then the iris of an eye , the ridge is not situated at the edge of the contact lens , but more radially towards the centre of the contact lens , as is shown in this fig8 . furthermore , this figure shows that the amplitude of the micro undulations is very small , in the range of about 1 - 5 micron , and preferably 2 - 3 micron . its wavelength is about 40 - 200 micron , preferably 60 - 80 micron . then slope preferably is continuous in order to prevent dirt to build up and to avoid irritation of the eye . fig9 shows a cross section of a contact lens 1 generally according to the contact lens of fig5 , which has an interruption 15 in the ridge 6 centrally below the central optical zone 4 . fig1 shows a contact lens according to the invention which has a ridge 6 and friction areas 16 having a two - dimensional sinusoid profile . examples of such a profile are shown in fig1 and 14 . fig1 shows a cross section through a contact lens 1 of fig1 with a ridge 6 . in fig1 alternative friction areas 20 and 21 are shown . friction area 20 has a profile of substantially parallel waves which run perpendicular to the radial direction , substantially in circumferential direction . friction area 21 has a profile which is at an angle with respect to the radial direction and the circumferential direction . this placement allows the eyelid to properly position the lens both in radial position and in height on the eye . fig1 - 14 show various embodiments of a wave pattern according to the invention and used in fig1 . in these figures , the waves are substantially parallel waves . these waves are in fig1 below the general surface and in a fully sinusoid pattern . in fig1 the waves are above the general surface of the contact lens , and between each wave 24 there is a flat region . it will also be obvious after the above that further embodiments are within the scope of protection of the appended claims being obvious combinations with prior art techniques and the disclosure of this patent .
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the invention provides a foot pedal musical effects device for providing new and varied sound effects in a compact foot - operable package to allow a musician to vary the effects in a creative and expressive manner during the course of a performance . the device modulates an audio input signal according to one or more presets and varied position of a foot treadle . fig1 illustrates one embodiment of a foot - operated effects pedal that provides a stable platform for foot - controlled operation , while also accommodating other controls in a compact package . as illustrated the effects pedal 100 includes an electronic housing 105 adapted to contain related electronic circuitry and an optional internal power source ( not shown ). the housing 105 provides a top surface 115 that generally faces the musician during use ( i . e ., it &# 39 ; s the top of the housing when placed on the floor ). the pedal 100 also includes a foot - operated treadle 110 disposed along the top surface 115 and pivotally coupled to the housing 105 . one or more manual controls 120 and / or displays are also disposed on the top surface 115 . additionally , the electronics housing 105 may contain one or more connectors 125 to accommodate signal input and output as well as external power . as illustrated , the treadle 110 is constructed having a unique ‘ i ’ shape well adapted to accommodate the control knobs 120 , without extending the dimensions of the housing . additionally , due to the placement and depth of the treadle 110 , a user &# 39 ; s foot can operate the treadle 110 without interfering with the control knobs 120 . that is , as the treadle 110 is pivoted up and down about a pivot point , a foot placed on top of the treadle 110 will not interfere with the control knobs 120 . such a configuration of the treadle 110 conserves a considerable amount of space thereby allowing for a more compact pedal 100 . there is no reason why the treadle 110 is limited to an ‘ i ’ shape . other shapes could also work such as a squared ‘ c ’ shape or even a ‘ t ’ shape . preferably , the treadle 110 provides a longitudinal support member adapted for alignment with the longitudinal axis , or length of a user &# 39 ; s foot . it is the longitudinal support member that is adapted to pivot back and forth above the housing 105 . generally , at least a portion of the longitudinal member is substantially narrower than a user &# 39 ; s foot to accommodate for placement of the control knobs . to provide stabilization for a foot placed upon the treadle 110 , a lateral support member is fixedly attached to the longitudinal member . thus , the lateral support can be the horizontal component of an i , square c , or t ; whereas , the longitudinal member can be the vertical member of each shape . the invention relates to especially - shaped treadle adapted to accommodate top - mounted controls in this manner . fig2 illustrates a plan , or top view of the pedal 100 of fig1 , showing an exemplary layout of control knobs . the top surface 115 of the housing 105 contains a mode - selection control 122 , that can be rotated to different positions to select a desired operating mode of the device 100 . other controls include a modulation depth control switch 123 , a pan ratio control switch 124 , a chop ratio or duty - cycle control switch 126 and a chop frequency control switch 127 . the control knobs 122 , 123 , 124 , 126 , and 127 can be used to pre - set one or more of the desired feature ; whereas , the treadle 110 can be used to continuously vary other features during play . in some embodiments , the pedal 100 includes one or more switches 131 , 132 for selecting whether the desired feature is controlled according to the presets or by the treadle 110 , thereby providing additional flexibility to the user . in some embodiments , the pedal 100 also includes a display providing the user with feedback as to one or more of the features of the pedal . it can be clearly seen that the controls 122 , 123 , 124 , 126 , 127 , 131 , 132 are “ nestled ” within the overall space occupied by the foot treadle 110 . additionally , the depth of the treadle 110 and / or its placement above the top surface 115 ensure that an operator &# 39 ; s foot will not interfere with the controls either . the space - saving of this design is by no means insignificant . for example , if the control knobs 122 , 123 , 124 , 126 , 127 and switches 131 , 132 and lcd screen 130 were to be accommodated outside of the treadle area , the overall size of the pedal 100 would be substantially larger , making it more cumbersome , heavier , and very likely more expensive . usually , foot pedals like the chopper are placed on boards with other pedals , so if one is oversized , the whole board has to be made bigger to accommodate it , or there is less space available for other pedals . many traveling musicians try to reduce the size and weight of the equipment they carry around , and the design of the chopper allows that . as shown in fig2 , the lcd read - out screen or display 130 allows for monitoring and control of features such as the modulation frequency . in some embodiments , the display 130 can be adjusted to read the frequency of either the chop wave or the sine wave ( tremolo or pan rate ), or both . generally , the device provides at least two oscillating waves . a first wave can be a square wave providing a capability for modulating an audio signal between two amplitude states , such as an “ on ” state and an “ off ” state . by the nature of the square wave , the audio signal is repeatedly switched or modulated between the two amplitude states at a variable and selectable rate . the modulation between the on and off states is referred to herein as a “ chopped ” effect . the rate at which the signal varies between the two states is the modulation frequency , referred to herein as a “ chop frequency .” a second wave can be a sine wave providing a capability for modulating an audio signal between two amplitude states in a continuous and varied manner , as according to a sine wave . although square and sine waves are described herein , it is conceivable that other wave forms , such as saw - tooth , triangular may also be used . the input signal can be an electrical audio signal from an electrified instrument , such as an electric guitar . alternatively , or in addition , the input signal can be obtained from any instrument or source providing an electrical signal , such as a keyboard , or even a signal from an acoustic source , such as that provided by a vocal microphone or instrument transducer . as shown in fig3 , a chopper device 200 includes an audio input 210 for receiving an incoming or input musical signal from an external musical source . the device 200 processes the received signal using an internal modulator 205 resulting in the chopped effect , and provides an outgoing , or output “ chopped ” signal at an audio output 215 . the modulator 205 is controllable by one or more controls 222 , 224 , 226 . for example , a chop rate can be adjusted using a chop - rate preset switch 222 . alternatively the chop rate can be adjusted using a foot - operated treadle 224 . in some embodiments , a duty - cycle control preset 226 is also provided to adjust the duty cycle defined by the on - off periods . as described in more detail below , the audio signals can be mono or stereo . in some embodiments , the device 200 includes a bypass switch 225 to selectively pass the received audio input signal through the device to the audio output 215 substantially unaffected . in operation , the device 200 generates the chopped signal by modulating the input signal between on and off states . the modulation can be accomplished using analog circuitry , digital circuitry , or a combination of both analog and digital circuitry . in addition to modulating the signal , other signal - conditioning circuitry can be included . for example , the device 200 can provide impedance matching between different audio sources . alternatively , or in addition , the device 200 can include filters to selectively alter the processed signal . still further , this device 200 can be combined with one or more other effects , such as echo , distortion , chorus , phaser , flanger , wah , harmonizer , etc . when adjusting the chop frequency using the chop - rate preset control 222 , the treadle 224 can be used as an on - off ( i . e ., bypass ) switch . in a stereophonic application , the chopped signal can be set to oscillate between the two channels . this feature is referred to as “ panning ” as the audio output signal varies between the channels in a manner as controlled by panning controls . another adjustment can be provided for changing the duty cycle , or ratio of “ on ” time to “ off ” time . such variability in duty cycle allows for an emphasis of the “ chop ” resulting in the generation of some unique sound effects . referring again to fig2 , the mode selector switch 122 provides for selection among different modes of operation . for example , the different modes produce different respective sound effects , such as chop , blend , shake and stir modes described in more detail below . in ‘ chop ’ mode , the audio signal is chopped ( turned on and off ) at a rate set either by the pre - set knob 127 or by the variable foot treadle 110 allowing the user to change the chop frequency at will ( i . e ., “ on the fly ”) during the course of a performance . when used in stereo , the chopped sound can be configured together with a pan between left and right channels . by combining one or more of the chop and pan modulations with the pedal - adjusted variable frequency , ground breaking new effects are produced . another feature of the chop mode referred to above is the adjustable ‘ duty cycle .’ the duty - cycle adjust changes the ratio of ‘ on ’ time to ‘ off ’ time thereby determining the nature of the resulting sound . a short ‘ on ’ time makes a dramatic chop sound whereas balancing the durations of the on and off periods to be similar , the effect is more melodic . a typical stereo chop - mode waveform captured from an actual oscilloscope trace is illustrated in fig4 a . the top trace represents the left audio output signal channel ; whereas , the bottom trace represents the right audio output signal . as shown , the left channel may be off at one instant of time , while the right channel is on . conversely , the left channel may be on at another instant of time , while the right channel is off . in this manner , the sound can be chopped between the two channels of a stereo output , resulting in sound coming from only one of the two channels at any give instance of time . as the duration of the on and off periods are about equal , it is said that the duty cycle is about 50 %. another similarly - captured stereo chop - mode waveform is provided in fig4 b illustrating a different duty cycle . the resulting waveform can be produced by adjusting the ratio control 126 towards one direction giving an unequal duty cycle . thus , as shown , one channel may have an on signal applied for one time period , whereas the other channel has a corresponding on signal a shorter time period . in some embodiments , the duty cycle is pre - settable between 0 % and 100 %. in other embodiments , the duty cycle is variable . as further illustrated in fig4 c , the audio output signal includes on and off states corresponding to on and off amplitude , or signal levels . the on signal level ( a on ) can be the natural signal level of the received musical signal . the off signal level ( a off ) typically represents a lower signal level . in some embodiments , the off signal corresponds to a substantially zero signal level . in practical systems , it is difficult to achieve a zero signal level as there usually remains some residual noise due to the electronics of the device as well as other external factors . nevertheless , the off level may be substantially imperceptible to a listener . as also shown in this figure , a chop period can be defined as the time between the beginning of one on signal and the beginning of the next adjacent on signal . a chop rate can be defined as the inverse of the chop period ( i . e ., 1 / t period ). the electronic circuitry used to cause the musical signal to be turned on and off repeatedly can either be “ analog ” ( i . e ., the musical signal is turned on and off by means of circuitry directly in the signal path ), or “ digital ,” where the analog musical signal is first converted to a digital signal by means of an analog - to - digital ( a - d ) converter . thus , in a digital application , the bit stream is processed to achieve the on / off effect at the rate and duty cycle as set by the user . the chopped digital signal can then be converted back to an analog signal using a digital - to - analog ( d - a ) converter , thus giving the same chopped effect . for analog embodiments , the on - off effect can be generated as shown in fig5 . the device 300 includes a modulator 305 receiving an audio signal at its audio input 310 and providing a modulated audio output at its audio output 315 . the modulator can include an amplitude - adjusting circuit 330 receiving the audio input signal and adapted to adjust its amplitude between at least two different levels ( e . g ., on and off ), providing a modulated audio output signal . the amplitude - adjusting circuit 330 receives a control input from an oscillating or timing circuit 335 . the timing circuit 335 , in turn , is adjustable according to one or more user - adjustable controls . for example , the timing circuit 335 receives a first input from a duty - cycle adjust 336 and a second input from a frequency adjust 322 . a chopped effect can be produced by the modulator repetitively attenuating ( i . e ., decreasing ) and then un - attenuating ( i . e ., increasing ) the electrical level of the audio input signal by the same amount . this can be achieved by actively reducing and then increasing the impedance to signal ground seen by the signal . alternatively , or in addition , the on - off effect can be achieved by increasing and then decreasing the impedance in the signal path , by repetitively reducing and then increasing electrical gain in the signal path , or by a combination of increasing and then decreasing the impedance and gain in the signal path . the repetition rate for the signal attenuation can be controlled by one of many possible oscillator circuits 322 . duty cycle , defined by “ on time ” and “ off time ” ( signal / no signal time intervals ), is controlled by means of the position of the duty cycle control knob 326 . duty cycle is determined by the ratio of on / off time periods in the timing signal generated by the oscillator and applied to the variable attenuation circuitry . as described above , the output signal may be mono or stereo . if stereo , the effect can be panned or “ chopped ” from one channel to another in various ways . for example , two stereo outputs ( i . e ., channel 1 and channel 2 ) can be chopped alternately , with each being substantially 180 ° out of phase with the other . in this manner , the sound can be chopped between the two channels , resulting in sound coming from one of the two channels at any give instance of time . alternatively or in addition , the input signal may be split and applied to two or more variable rate attenuation circuits , the output of the attenuation circuits being summed in parallel , or applied to two variable rate attenuation circuits in series . one embodiment of such a configuration is illustrated in fig6 . the device 400 includes a modulator 405 receiving an audio signal at its audio input 410 and providing a modulated audio output at its audio output 415 . the modulator 405 includes a first amplitude - adjusting circuit 430 controlled by a first timing circuit 435 and a second amplitude - adjusting circuit 440 controlled by a second timing circuit 445 . the input signal is split and applied to both amplitude - adjusting circuits 430 , 440 in parallel . the output of the second amplitude - adjusting circuit 440 is routed through an audio phase shifter 450 and combined with the output of the first amplitude adjusting circuit 430 in a signal combiner 460 . the multiple chopped or amplitude modulated audio signals can be summed or combined in various ratios and phase relationships to produce various ‘ delay emulation ’ effects by varying the settings of the respective amplitude - adjusting circuits 430 , 440 and / or timing circuits 435 , 445 . such variability includes varying the relative phase of one or more of the audio signals before recombining with the other signals . in some embodiments , the device includes an operational mode referred to as a “ blend ” mode . this is one form of ‘ delay ( echo ) emulation ’. in blend mode , the two waves are combined . when used in stereo , the sound produced is similar to that which is produced by a ‘ delay ’ pedal but with the absence of a repeated note , the pedal can achieve the melodic effect of a delay pedal but without the limitation of a repeated note hanging on . the sound produced is melodic in context and can be pulsating and rhythmic . a typical stereo blend - mode waveform captured from an actual oscilloscope trace is illustrated in fig7 . once again , the top trace represents the left audio output signal and the bottom trace represents the right audio output signal of a stereo output . as shown , the left channel may be off at one instant of time , while the right channel is on . however , the transition between off and on states is smooth providing some overlap . that is , as the amplitude of one channel is decreasing , the amplitude of the other channel is increasing . as illustrated , this panning effect can be controlled by a sine wave . additionally , each of the channels is also chopped . as illustrated , the chop rate is substantially faster than the pan rate , such that several chop periods are represented within each one period of the pan cycle . thus , in the blend mode , the chopped effect can be allocated to the left and right channels and panned at the same time . additionally , the chop duty cycle ( ratio ) adjustment can be adjusted or varied to add to the drama by making the chops shorter . in some embodiments , the chopped signal can be subsequently fed into one or more other effects , such as an auto - wah or synth - wah envelope filter to produce even more interesting effects . in some embodiments , the device is can operate in what is referred to as a “ shake ” mode . in this mode , the outputs of the different amplitude - adjusting circuits ( e . g ., the square and sine waves ) are combined out of phase with respect to each other to provide a melodic and complex sound that captures the creative imagination . it is akin to a series of echoes with different time intervals , totally unique and never - before - heard in a sound effect . the chop frequency and pan frequency can be set to produce extremely rhythmic patterns and can be followed by other event - triggered effects to create new sounds . an alternative embodiment of the device is adapted to apply an audio signal to two consecutive variable attenuation or gain stages and sum the outputs in parallel with at least one signal is phase shifted with respect to the other is illustrated in fig8 . the result , depending upon the actual settings , is an on - off rhythm sound pattern . the device 500 includes a modulator 505 receiving an audio signal at its audio input 510 and providing a modulated audio output at its audio output 515 . the modulator 505 includes a first amplitude - adjusting circuit 530 controlled by a first timing circuit 535 and a second amplitude - adjusting circuit 540 controlled by a second timing circuit 545 . the input signal applied only to the first amplitude - adjusting circuits 530 . the input to the second amplitude - adjusting circuit 540 is provided by the output of the first amplitude - adjusting circuit 530 . the output of the second amplitude - adjusting circuit 540 is routed through an audio phase shifter 550 and combined with the output of the first amplitude adjusting circuit 530 in a signal combiner 560 . an exemplary shake mode delay emulation waveform captured from an actual oscilloscope trace is illustrated in fig9 . as illustrated , the device 500 inserts partial amplitude out of phase chop on signals into the chop off period at a slower pan rate in the left channel and adds two in phase chop signals in the right channel . a degree of randomness is achieved by allowing the two oscillators 535 , 545 to run unsynchronized with respect to one another . in some embodiments , the two oscillators can be synchronized with respect to each other . in a digital embodiment of the chopper pedal , the different waveform patterns can be defined by programming on and off times and phases by means of software . as in the analog version , both the chop and pan frequencies can be varied , thus creating either random or predetermined intervals , but in addition , the on times and off times can be programmed to specific patterns whether the effect is used in mono or stereo . for example , the on periods could be programmed to be : slow - slow - slow - pause - quick - quick , or any other pattern the user wants to create . using these effects , an instrument , such as the guitar , can be turned into a pattern generator creating funky and rhythmic stereo sounds hitherto never achieved by means of a foot - pedal or a rack - mounted effects unit intended for electrical musical instruments . although a foot pedal configuration is described herein , the device can also be packaged in any one of a various number of alternative configurations . for example , the device can be configured in a rack - mounted configuration for studio or stage use . in rack mounted applications , the pedal feature is either not used or effected by means of a separate pedal controller , such as a midi - controller or a simple device similar to a volume pedal . alternatively , the device can be configured as a self - contained , stand - alone device , such as a floor - mounted option with a pedal provided on top of the housing for placement at the performer &# 39 ; s feet . in some embodiments , as cross - sectionally illustrated in fig1 a and b , the pedal action is provided by a pivoting member or treadle 110 shown in up and down positions , respectively . the pedal 100 includes a treadle 110 pivotally attached to an electronics housing 105 at a pivot 155 . thus , the treadle 110 can be pivoted between a full up position as shown in fig1 a and a full down position as shown in fig1 b . advantageously , the treadle 110 does not interfere with the control knobs and switches 122 , 124 , 128 . the treadle is coupled to internal circuitry 160 through a linkage 150 . thus , the position of the pedal as communicated to the internal circuitry 160 through the linkage 150 , can be used to control one or more features provided by the device 100 . in operation , movement of the treadle 110 varies a control parameter in the electronic circuitry according to the position of the treadle . the linkage 150 between the treadle and the electronic circuitry can be any suitable linkage , such as a mechanical linkage as shown or an optical linkage . thus , the linkage 150 provides a particular control signal to the electronics depending on the position of the treadle 110 . preferably , the treadle 110 provides a neutral mechanical bias allowing the it to remain , without the application of additional force , in the position last set . it is conceivable , however , that in other embodiments the treadle can be biased in a preferred position ( e . g ., full open ). the chop rates and pan rates ( frequencies ) can be simultaneously adjusted by means of the same treadle 110 by the performer &# 39 ; s foot without the performer having to remove hands from the instrument . it is believed to be the first time such a foot pedal has been designed to manipulate multiple modulation parameters ( i . e ., two separate oscillating waves ) in this way . in an exemplary embodiment of a stereophonic device , the chopped signal can also be panned between left and right channels alternately at a rate or in a manner set by the pedal 100 . the pan rate can be varied over a frequency range from a relatively slow pan of about 0 . 3 hz , to much faster pan rates of 15 hz or even greater . the pan frequency can be controlled ( in a continuously variable manner ) by the user &# 39 ; s foot allowing the user to play continuously with a tremolo and / or pan effect rate without using hands . in a stereo system , this foot - operated adjustment is believed to be unique . in some embodiments , additional features , such as a visible display 130 ( fig2 ) are provided to display one or more settings of the device 100 . for example , the display 130 can identify the oscillator frequency in order to facilitate control of one or more of the device parameters . any of a number of conventional circuits can be provided to determine the oscillator frequency . for example , a detection circuit that triggers of the oscillator output , e . g ., at its rising edge , uses the trigger points to determines the corresponding frequency . the frequency , once determined , can be displayed in terms of hz ( bits of cycles per second ), or cpm ( chops per minute ). when the device is synchronized using a midi signal , the display 130 can be configured to show the midi sync rate ( e . g ., in beats per minute ). for lcd displays , the foot pedal allows for the display to be back - illuminated , if required . in some embodiments , the chop frequency can be synchronized using an external signal or trigger such as that provided by a midi signal . such synchronization can be applied to analog , digital , and mixed analog and digital embodiments . the midi synchronization is achieved by allowing the midi timing signal to trigger the first ( e . g ., square wave ) oscillator so that it can be synchronized with an external beat or signal provided from an external source by means of a connecting cable . the timing signal can be connected directly to the oscillator in order to achieve synchronization with the internal timing source being disconnected in the presence of the external sync signal . midi has been used before to time events and to provide a sync signal , but this is the first time it has been used to synchronize an oscillating frequency in a foot pedal . an exemplary schematic diagram illustrating the interconnections of the control switches is illustrated in fig1 . an audio input signal is received at an audio input 170 . the signal is routed through a bypass switch 175 that can be operated to direct the input signal through the device 100 or directly to an audio output 180 . the input audio signal , if not bypassed , is routed to one or more modulators 190 ′, 190 ″, each modulator being controlled by a respective oscillator 195 ′, 195 ″. the output of each of the oscillators 195 ′, 195 ″ is routed to a display unit 130 . the output of each of the modulators 190 ′, 190 ″ is routed to an interconnection circuit 197 that routs the signals , as determined by the selected mode , to the audio output 180 . for example , the interconnection circuit may include a phase offset and / or a signal combiner . the first modulator 190 ′ is controlled by a chop rate input . the chop rate can be obtained from an external midi signal or from settings of the device 100 as determined by a first midi control switch 185 ′. a first pedal / preset switch 131 selects whether the chop rate control is obtained from the treadle 110 or from the manual preset 127 . the second modulator is similarly controlled by a pan / tremolo rate input . the pan / tremolo rate can be obtained form an external midi signal or from settings of the device 100 as determined by a second midi control switch 185 ″. a second pedal preset switch 132 selects whether the pan / tremolo rate control is obtained from the treadle 110 or from the manual preset 124 . additionally , the first oscillator 195 ′ receives an input from a chop ratio preset 126 and the second oscillator 195 ″ receives an input from a modulation depth preset 123 . while this invention has been particularly shown and described with references to preferred embodiments thereof , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention encompassed by the appended claims .
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other than in the operating examples , or where otherwise indicated , all numbers expressing quantities of ingredients or reaction conditions used herein are to be understood as modified in all instances by the term &# 34 ; about &# 34 ;. it has now been found that the requirements stated above are satisfied to a high degree by zwitterionic polymers consisting essentially of : ( a ) from 30 to 70 mole % of monomers containing quanternary ammonium groups and corresponding to the following formula : wherein r 1 and r 2 are hydrogen or methyl groups , z is an oxygen atom or an -- nh -- group , n is a number from 2 to 5 , and a . sup . (-) is a chloride , bromide , methoxysulfate or ethoxysulfate anion ; ( b ) from 10 to 30 mole % of monomeric carboxylic acids corresponding to the following formula : in which r 3 and r 4 are hydrogen or methyl groups ; ( c ) from 10 to 30 mole % of monomeric esters corresponding to the following formula : in which r 5 and r 6 are hydrogen or methyl groups and r 7 is a methyl or ethyl group ; and ( d ) from 0 to 40 mole % of monomers containing tertiary amino groups and corresponding to the following formula : in which r 8 and r 9 are hydrogen or methyl groups and r 10 and r 11 are hydrogen or c 1 - c 4 alkyl groups or , together with the nitrogen atom , form a piperidine , piperazine , pyrrolidine or morpholine ring , z is an oxygen atom or an -- nh -- group , and n is a number from 2 to 5 . the zwitterionic polymers according to the invention are readily soluble in water and in aqueous solutions of anionic , cationic , ampholytic , zwitterionic and nonionic surfactants and retain their favorable hair - softening and hair - setting properties in aqueous solutions of anionic surfactants , even in the event of prolonged storage . by virtue of the properties mentioned , the zwitterionic polymers according to the invention are suitable as a setting and hair - softening component in aqueous hair - washing and hair - care preparations . such preparations include shampoos , rinses , setting lotions , setting gels and also aqueous colorants , permanent - wave preparations or permanent - wave setting preparations . the zwitterionic polymers according to the invention are prepared from monomers corresponding to formulae ( i ), ( ii ), ( iii ), and , optionally , ( iv ) by known polymerization processes in aqueous - alcoholic solution . a radical - forming compound , such as for example potassium or ammonium peroxysulfate , tert .- butyl hydroperoxide , azobis ( cyanopentanoic acid ) or , preferably , azoisobutyonitrile , is added in small quantities as initiator . the preparation of two copolymers according to the invention is described in the examples . suitable monomers corresponding to formula ( i ) include derivatives of acrylic acid , methacrylic acid , crotonic acid or 2 - methyl crotonic acid . particularly suitable monomers containing quaternary ammonium groups include methacryloxyethyl trimethyl ammonium methosulfate or methacrylamidopropyl trimethyl ammonium chloride . suitable monomeric carboxylic acids corresponding to formula ( ii ) include acrylic acid , methacrylic acid , crotonic acid and 2 - methyl crotonic acid . acrylic acid or methacrylic acid is preferred . suitable monomeric esters corresponding to formula ( iii ) include the methyl and ethyl esters of acrylic acid , methacrylic acid , crotonic acid and 2 - methyl crotonic acid . the methyl esters of acrylic or methacrylic acid are preferred . suitable monomers containing tertiary amino groups corresponding to formula ( iv ) are preferably acrylic and methacrylic acid derivatives including dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate , dimethylaminopropyl methacrylamide , 2 - tert .- butylaminoethyl methacrylate or dimethylaminoneopentyl acrylate . the most preferred zwitterionic polymers corresponding to the aforementioned formulas consist essentially of : as indicated above , component a ( maptac ) may be present at a level of from 30 to 70 mole %, most preferably 30 to 65 mole %. component b ( aa or maa ) is present at a level of from 10 to 30 mole %, most preferably 15 to 25 mole %. component c ( ma or mma ) is present at a level of from 10 to 30 mole %, most preferably 15 to 25 % mole %. component d ( dmaema ) may be present at a level of 0 to 40 mole percent , and , when included , is present at a level of at least 1 mole %, most preferably 30 to 35 mole %. the properties of the zwitterionic polymers may be modified to obtain an improved hair softening effect through the proportion of component ( d ), i . e ., monomers corresponding to formula ( iv ). by contrast , zwitterionic polymers containing a particularly high proportion of component ( a ), i . e . monomers corresponding to formula ( i ), have a particularly pronounced setting , style - holding effect . where component ( d ) is used , it is employed at a level effective to impart minimally hair softening properties to the composition . it is particularly preferred to use at least one zwitterionic polymer according to the invention in aqueous preparations containing at least one anionic surfactant . accordingly , one preferred embodiment of the invention is a water - based hair shampoo which is characterized in that it contains from 0 . 1 to 10 % by weight of a zwitterionic polymer according to the invention and from 5 to 25 % by weight of an anionic surfactant . suitable anionic surfactants in hair treatment preparations according to the invention are any anionic surface - active compounds suitable for use on the human body . these compounds are characterized by a water - solubilizing , anionic group such as , for example , a carboxylate , sulfate , sulfonate or phosphate group , and a lipophilic alkyl group containing from 10 to 22 carbon atoms . in addition , glycol or polyglycol ether groups , ester , ether and amide groups and also hydroxyl groups may be present in the molecule . examples of suitable anionic surfactants are the sodium , potassium , ammonium , mono -, di - and tri - alkanolammonium salts containing 2 or 3 carbon atoms in the alkanol group of : ether carboxylic acids corresponding to the formula r 1 -- o --( ch 2 -- ch 2 o ) x -- ch 2 -- cooh , in which r 1 is a linear c 10 - c 22 alkyl group and x is 0 or 1 to 10 ; acyl sarcosines containing from 10 to 18 carbon atoms in the acyl group ; acyl taurides containing from 10 to 18 carbon atoms in the acyl group ; acylisethionates containing from 10 to 18 carbon atoms in the acyl group ; sulfosuccinic acid mono - and dialkyl esters containing from 8 to 18 carbon atoms in the alkyl group and sulfosuccinic acid monalkyl polyoxyethyl esters containing from 8 to 18 carbon atoms in the alkyl group and from 1 to 6 oxyethyl groups ; alpha - sulfofatty acid methyl esters of c 12 - c 18 fatty acids ; alkyl sulfates and alkyl polyglycol ether sulfates corresponding to the formula r 1 -- o ( ch 2 -- ch 2 o ) x -- oso 3 h , in which r 1 is a preferably linear c 10 - c 18 alkyl group and x is 0 or 1 to 12 . alkyl sulfates and alkyl polyglycol ether sulfates containing from 10 to 18 carbon atoms in the alkyl group and up to 12 glycol ether groups in the molecule are particularly preferred . in addition to the anionic surfactants mentioned , the hair shampoo formulations according to the invention may contain any of the auxiliaries and additives normally used for this purpose in the usual quantities . such auxiliaries and additives are , in particular , nonionic , amphoteric and zwitterionic surfactants . nonionic surfactants are , above all , the adducts of from 2 to 20 moles ethylene oxide with preferably linear c 12 - c 18 alcohols , with alkylphenols containing from 8 to 15 carbon atoms in the alkyl group , with c 12 - c 18 fatty acids , with fatty acid partial glycerides , with fatty acid sorbitan partial esters , with fatty acid alkanolamides and with methyl glucoside fatty acid esters . other suitable nonionic surfactants are alkyl ( oligo ) glucosides , alkylamine oxide surfactants and fatty acid alkanolamines . examples of amphoteric surfactants are alkyl ( c 8 - c 18 )- trimethyl - ammonioglycinate or acyl ( c 8 - c 18 )- aminopropyl trimethyl - ammonioglycinate . certain cationic surfactants compatible with anionic surfactants may also be present in the hair shampoos according to the invention . examples of such cationic surfactants are disclosed in german patent document no . 3442175 . in addition to the zwitterionic surfactants , the aqueous hair - washing and hair - care preparations according to the invention may also contain any of the auxiliaries and additives normally used for the particular application envisaged . in the case of hair rinses , such auxiliaries and additives include cationic surfactants , more especially surface - active quaternary ammonium salts , c 12 - c 22 fatty alcohols , fatty acid partial glycerides , cosmetic oil and fatty components and water - soluble polymers having a thickening effect ; for setting lotions and setting gels , they include cationic surfactants , cationic , nonionic or anionic polymers and lower alcohols . hair dyes generally contain substantive dyes or oxidation dye precursors , anionic or nonionic surfactants , ammonia or alkanolamines and , optionally , antioxidants . permanent - wave setting preparations generally contain an oxidizing agent such as h 2 o 2 , h 2 o 2 adducts , or potassium bromate , and also include anionic or nonionic surfactants . the zwitterionic polymers according to the invention are present in the aqueous hair - washing and hair - care preparations mentioned above in a quantity of from 0 . 1 to 10 % by weight , and more preferably from 0 . 1 to 2 % by weight . the following examples are intended to illustrate the invention without limiting it in any way . preparation of a copolymer of 3 moles maptac , 1 mole acrylic acid and 1 mole methyl methacrylate : 2 . 4 kg methyl methacrylate ( mma ) and 16 . 0 kg ispropanol were introduced into a reactor equipped with an impeller stirrer , a heating system , a cooling system , a reflux and head condenser and a thermometer and 0 . 1 kg azoisobutyronitrile was dissolved therein with stirring . 31 kg of a 50 % by weight aqueous solution of methacrylamidopropyl trimethyl ammonium chloride ( maptac ), 1 . 7 kg acrylic acid ( aa ) and 47 . 2 kg water were then added . the mixture was adjusted to ph 7 . 0 with approximately 1 . 6 kg ammonia solution ( 25 % by weight in water ). the contents of the reactor were then stirred for 30 minutes at a jacket temperature of 65 ° c ., resulting in slight heating . the mixture was then heated to 80 ° c . and stirred for another 2 hours . on completion of the reaction , 20 kg water were added and the same quantity distilled off again under normal pressure ( 1 bar ) in the form of an azeotrope . after cooling to 30 ° c ., the polymer solution had the following characteristic data : ______________________________________ph value 6 . 8dried acetone precipitate 125 % of the theoreticalspecific viscosity 0 . 65 ( 1 % in 1n nano . sub . 3 solution ) ______________________________________ preparation of a copolymer of 2 moles maptac , 1 mole acrylic acid , 1 mole methyl methacrylate and 2 moles dmaema : 2 . 1 kg methyl methacrylate and 16 . 0 kg isopropanol were introduced into a reactor equipped with an impeller stirrer , a heating system , a cooling system , a reflux and head condenser and a thermometer and 0 . 1 kg azoisbutyronitrile was dissolved therein with stirring . 18 . 3 kg of a 50 % by weight aqueous solution of methacrylamidopropyl trimethyl ammonium chloride ( maptac ), 6 . 5 kg dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate ( dmaema ) and 52 . 9 kg water were then added . after the careful addition of 1 . 5 kg acrylic acid , the mixture was adjusted to ph 7 . 0 with approximately 2 . 6 kg dilute sulfuric acid ( 30 % by weight in water ) and heated to 65 ° c . after stirring for 30 minutes at that temperature , resulting in slight heating , the mixture was heated to 80 ° c . and stirred for another 2 hours . 20 kg water were then added and the same quantity distilled off again under normal pressure ( 1 bar ) in the form of an azeotrope . after cooling to 30 ° c ., the polymer solution showed the following characteristic data : ______________________________________ph value 6 . 9dried acetone precipitate 145 % of the theoreticalspecific viscosity 0 . 65 ( 1 % in 1n nano . sub . 3 solution ) ______________________________________ the following examples illustrate the composition of various hair - care products prepared by forming aqueous dispersions of the listed compositions by techniques well known in the art . all of these products are considered effective for their indicated purposes . ______________________________________3 . hair shampoo % by weight______________________________________fatty alcohol ( c . sub . 12 - 14 ) poly ( 3 eo ) 30glycolether sulfate , na salt , 28 % aqueous solutioncoconut acyl ( c . sub . 12 - 18 )- aminopropyl 20dimethyl glycine , 30 % aqueous solutioncopolymer solution example 1 ( approx . 20 %) 5water adjust to 100 % ______________________________________ ______________________________________4 . hair rinse % by weight______________________________________fatty alcohol ( c . sub . 12 - 14 ) poly ( 3 eo ) 5glycol ether sulfate , na salt , 28 % aqueous solutioncopolymer solution example 2 ( approx . 20 %) 2water adjust to 100 % ______________________________________ ______________________________________5 . hair rinse % by weight______________________________________n --( 2 - hydroxyhexadecyl - 1 -)- n , n -- dimethyl - 4 ( 2 - hydroxyethyl )- ammonium chloride , 28 % aqueous solutioncopolymer solution example 2 ( approx . 20 %) 5water adjust to 100 % ______________________________________ ______________________________________6 . hair setting gel % by weight______________________________________n --( 2 - hydroxyhexadecyl - 1 -)- n , n -- 0 . 2dimethyl - n --( 2 - hydroxyethyl )- ammonium chloride , 28 % aqueoussolutionisopropanol 15 . 0copolymer solution example 2 ( approx . 20 %) 6 . 0water adjust to 100 % ______________________________________ ______________________________________7 . hair setting lotion % by weight______________________________________polyvinylpyrrolidone - polyvinyl 1 . 4acetate copolymer ( 60 : 40 ) copolymer solution example 1 ( approx . 20 %) 4 . 0ethanol 20 . 0water adjust to 100 % ______________________________________ ______________________________________8 . hair dye % by weight______________________________________tallow fatty alcohol ( c . sub . 16 - 18 ) 8 . 0fatty alcohol ( c . sub . 12 - 14 ) poly ( 3 eo ) glycol 20 . 0ether sulfate , na salt , 28 % aqueoussolutioncopolymer solution example 1 ( approx . 20 %) 2 . 5oxidation dye precursors 2 . 0water adjust to 100 % ______________________________________ ______________________________________9 . permanent - wave setting preparation % by weight______________________________________potassium bromate 5 . 0fatty alcohol ( c . sub . 12 - 14 ) poly ( 3 eo ) glycol 5 . 0ether sulfate , na salt , 28 % aqueoussolutioncitric acid sufficient to adjust to a ph of 4copolymer solution example 2 ( approx . 20 %) 1 . 5water adjust to 100 % ______________________________________ it is to be understood that the above described embodiments of the invention are illustrative only and that modifications throughout may occur to those skilled in the art .
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a perspective view of an exemplary trap 100 for crawling pests in accordance with the present invention is shown in fig1 . the trap 100 is suitable for trapping crawling pests such as arachnids , crawling insects such as ants and cockroaches , and the like . the trap 100 may also be used for trapping crawling pests that also have the ability to fly , such as wasps , stink bugs , or the like . the trap 100 has particular advantages for trapping pests that may have unpleasant defense mechanisms , such as stingers , biting mandibles , foul odor or the like , because the entrapped pests may be discarded without the user risking contact with the pest . the trap 100 includes a pair of parallel wall portions 102 that are elastically urged apart to define an entrapment region between the wall portions 102 . entrapment panels , for example , adhesive panels 130 , are releasably retained on the facing sides 101 of the wall portions 102 . refer also to an exploded view of the trap 100 shown in fig2 . the trap 100 includes first and second wall portions 102 . the wall portions 102 each define a recessed bed 103 with gently sloped ramps 104 , 104 ′ providing ready access to the recessed bed 103 from all sides . in this embodiment , the wall portions 102 are generally rectangular with rounded corners . tubular receivers 106 extend away from two corners of the facing sides 101 of each wall portion 102 . tubular posts 108 extend away from the facing sides 101 of the other two corners . the tubular receivers 106 define an aperture 107 that is sized and positioned to slidably receive a corresponding tubular post 108 from the facing wall portion 102 . in fig1 , for example , the tubular receivers 106 extend upwardly from the forward corners of the first or lower wall portion 102 , and the tubular posts 108 extend upwardly from the rear corners of the lower wall portion 102 . the tubular posts 108 for the second or upper wall portion 102 extend downwardly to engage the tubular receivers 108 of the lower wall portion 102 , and the tubular receivers 106 receive the tubular posts 108 from the lower wall portion 102 . the tubular posts 108 are sized and configured to be inserted into corresponding tubular receivers 106 . in this embodiment , the tubular receivers 106 include an inner rim 106 ′ at the distal end , and the tubular posts 108 include an outer rim 108 ′ at the distal end . the inwardly and outwardly disposed rims 106 ′, 108 ′ are sized such that the tubular posts 108 may be inserted into the tubular receivers 106 of another wall portion 102 with an interference fit , such that the wall portions 102 will releasably snap together . as seen in fig2 , a coil spring or other biasing element 120 is disposed in the aperture 107 in the tubular receiver 106 , and is configured to bias the upper and lower wall portions 102 apart . an annular recess 109 is defined in the wall portions 102 concentric with the corresponding tubular posts 108 . the annular recess 109 is sized to slidably receive the corresponding tubular receiver 106 on the other wall portion 102 . refer now also to fig3 , which shows a section view of the trap 100 through section 3 - 3 indicated in fig1 . the recessed bed 103 defined in each of the wall portions 102 receives a disposable adhesive panel 130 . the adhesive panels 130 are sized and configured to fit in the corresponding recessed bed 103 , and are retained on the recessed bed 103 by edge retainers 114 . at least a portion of the inwardly facing surface of the adhesive panels 130 is covered with an adhesive that is formulated to entrap crawling pests , such that pests crawling onto the adhesive portions become fixed to the adhesive panel 130 and are unable to escape . each wall portion 102 is substantially rigid . in a current embodiment , the rigidity is conveniently achieved in a lightweight and inexpensive construction by forming the wall portions 102 with a honeycomb structure , although other construction is clearly contemplated . for example , the wall portions 102 may be formed from a rigid polymeric foam or from a natural material such as wood . referring again to fig1 and 2 , each wall portion 102 includes a centrally located aperture 112 having a flexible plate 110 cantilevered along one edge of the aperture 112 such that the flexible plate 110 can be flexed inwardly , as indicated by arrow 90 . the operation of the trap 100 can now be appreciated . the wall portions 102 are typically assembled when the user obtains the trap 100 . upper and lower disposable adhesive panels 130 are placed into the recessed bed 103 of each wall portion 102 , and are retained on the bed 103 by edge retainers 114 . the trap 100 is then placed in a desired location . it should be appreciated that the trap 100 is accessible from all four sides , by the gently sloping ramps 104 . additionally , the trap 100 in this embodiment is reversible ( invertible ), and therefore the trap 100 may be flipped when one adhesive panel 130 becomes suitably filled with pests . the flat outer surfaces of wall portions 102 facilitate placement on any flat surface , for example , on a floor or counter . the entrapment region defined by the adhesive panels 130 is in the relatively narrow region between the wall portions 102 . therefore the traps 100 are unlikely to become inadvertently stuck to unintended parties , such as household pets , young children , or unwary travelers in an area containing the trap 100 . when the trap 100 is sufficiently full of pests , and typically after flipping the trap 100 to allow the second adhesive panel 130 to entrap pests 95 , the user may simply step on or otherwise urge the wall portions 102 together , which is indicated by arrows 92 in the sectional end view shown in fig4 . as the wall portions 102 are urged together against the elastic force of the springs 120 , the tubular receivers 106 are received into the corresponding annular recess 109 , and the tubular posts 108 are received into the corresponding tubular receiver 106 , to allow the inner surfaces of the adhesive panels 130 to contact each other and become adhered . the pests 95 that have become stuck to the adhesive panels 130 will thereby be crushed and / or enclosed between the panels 130 . when the closing force is removed , the wall portions 102 will separate due to the biasing force of the springs 120 . the separation of the wall portions 102 is limited by the interference between the rims 106 ′, 108 ′. at least one of the adhesive panels 130 will release from the corresponding wall portion 102 due to the adhesive attachment to the opposing adhesive panel 130 . as illustrated in the side view of fig5 , the user may then depress the appropriate flexible plate 110 from the recess 112 ( fig1 ) through the wall portion 102 to release the adhesive panels 130 , which may then be dropped directly into a suitable repository . therefore , the adhesive panels 130 in this embodiment may be removed and disposed of without the user directly touching the panels 130 . of particular note , the trap 100 allows the user to effectively crush , or otherwise immobilize , encapsulate , or enclose the pests prior to handling the trap 100 . for example , by stepping on the trap 100 , any threat from the pests ( for example , with a stinger , venom , or the like ) can be substantially neutralized , and the user does not need to worry that one or more of the trapped pests may still be active . as a further safety advantage , the user does not need to handle the adhesive panels 130 directly after stepping on the trap 100 . rather , the user may simply hold the trap 100 by the wall portions 102 wall away from the adhesive panels 130 over a receptacle , and depress one or both of the flexible plates 110 to release the panels 130 , which will drop into the receptacle . to reset the trap 100 , the user simply replaces the adhesive panels 130 in the recessed beds 130 , such that they are retained by the edge retainers 114 . the trap 100 may then be positioned in the same , or a different location . in a current embodiment of the trap 100 , the entrapment region defined between the adhesive panels 130 is between about 0 . 3 inch and 2 . 0 inch , and more preferably between 0 . 4 inch and 1 . 0 inch . one advantage of the currently preferred embodiment of the trap , as described above , is that the two wall portions 102 are identical , and the simple design requires only three unique parts , the wall portions 102 , the springs 120 , and the disposable adhesive panels 130 . although this elegant design is not necessary for the present invention , it will be readily apparent this construction provides for low manufacturing costs . in particular , the wall portions 102 each have two tubular receivers 106 and two tubular posts 108 that are symmetrically disposed on the wall portions 102 . the wall portions 102 may therefore be aligned such that the tubular receivers 106 for one wall portion align with the tubular posts 108 of the other wall portion 102 . although the disclosed trap 100 shown in fig1 is symmetric about the long axis of the wall portion 102 , it will be readily apparent that the trap may alternatively be constructed to be symmetric about the short axis , or even about the diagonal axis . it is also contemplated that the wall portions 102 do not need to be rectangular . for example , the wall portions ( and associated adhesive panels 130 ) may be formed with a circular , triangular , or polygonal plan form . advantageously , the wall portions may include symmetrically disposed receivers and posts arranged such that the wall portions are identical . alternatively , the wall portions may be not be identical . for example , it is contemplated that a trap in accordance with the present invention may be constructed with a generally triangular plan form , with tubular receivers formed on one wall portion , and tubular posts formed on the opposing wall portion . a plan view of an embodiment of an adhesive panel 130 suitable for use with the present invention is shown in fig6 a . in this embodiment the adhesive panel 130 includes a generally star - shaped adhesive portion 132 disposed on the panel 130 , wherein other portions of the panel 130 are not adhesive . although it is also contemplated that the adhesive panel may be substantially or completely covered with an adhesive , the current shape of the adhesive portion 132 is intended to provide a relatively larger perimeter 134 for the size of the adhesive panel 130 . in particular , a crawling pest entering the adhesive portion 132 becomes stuck relatively quickly . therefore the interior of the adhesive portion 132 is relatively inaccessible to crawling arthropods , and therefore ineffective for trapping crawling pests . pests trapped near the perimeter 134 not only block the adhesive portion 132 to subsequent crawling pests , but they may also deter other pests that are very near the trapped pest from entering the trap 100 . for the present invention it is preferred to provide a shaped adhesive portion 132 that provides a relatively large perimeter 134 length relative to the area of the adhesive panel 130 . a generally star - shaped pattern for the adhesive portion 132 provides a relatively large perimeter 134 , while also widely separating the adhesive elements near the outer perimeter of the panel 130 . therefore , pests are more able to enter deeply into the trap 100 before becoming stuck to the adhesive portion 132 . other exemplary large perimeter patterns for the adhesive portions 132 ′, 132 ″ are illustrated in fig6 b and 6c . on adhesive panel 130 ′, an adhesive pattern 132 ′ comprising an array of transverse triangles are applied to the panel 130 ′. on adhesive panel 130 ″, a zigzag pattern of adhesive 132 ″ is applied to the panel 130 ″. it is also contemplated that the adhesive for the adhesive panels 130 , or the panels 130 themselves , may be provided with a natural or synthetic attractant to lure a target insect or other pest into the trap . although the trap 100 described above was constructed using reusable polymeric wall portions 102 with disposable and replaceable panels 130 , a crushable , fully disposable trap 200 for crawling arthropods is shown in fig7 - 9 . in this alternative construction upper and lower adhesive panel portions are incorporated into a stiff but crushable open fiberboard or cardboard trap . this fully disposable embodiment , the trap 200 may be set out to entrap the target pest , for example , spiders , and then stepped on or otherwise crushed to encapsulate the trapped pests , thereby protecting the user from potential danger from recently - trapped pests . in fig7 the fully disposable trap 200 defines upper and lower panels 202 , each having a large perimeter adhesive pattern 232 defining non - adhesive pathways deep into the trap 200 . the adhesive pattern 232 is defined on the inwardly - facing surfaces of the panels 202 , the opposed surfaces thereby defined facing beds to define an entrapment region therebetween . the disposable trap 200 is invertible , similar to the trap 100 discussed above . in this exemplary embodiment , the adhesive portions 232 are patterned to correspond approximately to the adhesive portion 132 shown in fig6 a . it will be readily apparent that other patterns , for example those shown in fig6 b and 6c , may alternatively be used . the upper and lower panels 202 are joined and held in approximately parallel orientation by four spaced apart perimeter posts 206 , 208 ( two visible in fig7 ). therefore , the interior of the trap 200 is accessible from all sides . in this embodiment , two diagonally opposed posts 208 ( one visible ) further define opposed flap portions 208 ′ that extend from the center portion of the post 208 , and are configured to bend outwardly ( e . g ., by the user pinching the tab portions 208 ′. the tab portions 208 ′ thereby provide outwardly - extending tabs to facilitate placement and moving the trap 200 during use ( for example , flipping the trap over ), allowing the user to keep their fingers away from the interior of the trap 200 . the tab portions 208 ′ also aid in maintaining the trap 200 in the open position shown in fig7 . in a current embodiment , the trap 200 is formed from a flat panel of a stiff paperboard , although it is contemplated that other materials , such as a thin polymeric panel , may alternatively be used . paperboard ( and most thin polymeric panels ) will typically have a stiffness such that the posts 206 , 208 easily maintain the upper and lower panels 202 in the desired spaced - apart relation . in addition , the posts have an inherent elasticity in bending , such that the posts 206 , 208 will flex to elastically bias the upper and lower panels 202 apart . fig8 shows the trap 200 prior to assembly by the user , in plan - form . the flat panel 201 includes the upper and lower panels 202 , and the posts 206 , 208 . the posts 206 , 208 are scored or perforated 207 along the edges joining the upper and lower panels 202 , to facilitate folding the trap 200 . the side entryways for the trap 200 are defined by the corresponding apertures 214 . in addition , scoring or perforations 205 are optionally provided approximately on a midline of the posts 206 , 208 ( including the tab portions 208 ′). the perforations 205 facilitate the upper and lower panels 202 coming together in approximate alignment when the trap is crushed . the upper and lower panels 202 are provided with respective patterned adhesive portions 232 . it is contemplated that , for packaging , the adhesive portions 232 may be overlaid with a protective , peel - away strip ( not shown ) that would be removed by the user when initially setting up the trap 200 . an end flap 210 with an adhesive strip 212 extends from one end and is configured to fold over the opposite panel to assemble the trap 200 . therefore , to set up the trap 200 the user simply chooses a suitable location for the trap , and folds along the perforations 207 on either end of the posts 206 , 208 to define the approximately rectangular trap volume . the peel - away strips ( if present ) are removed to expose the adhesive portions 232 , and to expose the adhesive strip 212 . the adhesive strip 212 is pressed against the outer surface of the corresponding panel 202 . the user may then pinch the tab portions 208 ′ to define the outwardly - extending grips . fig9 shows the trap 200 crushed after use , which may be accomplished by simply stepping on the trap . the tab portions 206 , 208 extend outwardly , and the trapped pests are safely encapsulated between the upper and lower panels 202 , facilitating safe disposal of the trap 200 .
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embodiments described herein include a pump that may be used to extract useful work from pressure transients within a pneumatic tire . certain embodiments include , but are not limited to , impulse - driven diaphragm pumps . these pressure transients may occur , for example , when the vehicle on which the tires are mounted passes over bumps in the road as a natural consequence of driving . thus , for example , one side of a diaphragm is exposed to the instantaneous pressure in the tire cavity , and the other side of the diaphragm is maintained at an average pressure . when the transient exceeds the average pressure , the pump may extract useful work from the gas . certain embodiments described herein include a miniature diaphragm pump that provides air into a pneumatic tire of a vehicle , where a force for driving the pump , and thus inflating the tire , is obtained from tire pressure transients that result from the vehicle passing over bumps in the road . embodiments of the present invention include a pump installed through the wall or rim of a tire . thus , for example and without limitation , certain embodiments provide a pump placed through the wheel of a pneumatic tire . other certain embodiments provide a pump placed through the rubber portion of the tire . the pump may be on the inside of the tire , on outside of the tire , or partially or completely within the wall of the tire . certain other embodiments provide the pump within a valve stem . for example and without limitation , fig1 is a cross - sectional view of a pneumatic tire 1 having an interior tire cavity volume 4 in an ambient environment 5 . tire 1 is installed on a wheel rim 3 and includes a pump 10 installed in a valve stem 105 . in various embodiments , pump 10 may be located within volume 4 , on the outside of tire 1 in ambient environment 5 , within valve stem 105 , or within tire 1 or rim 3 . fig2 is a schematic of a first embodiment pump 10 as installed within a tire cavity 4 . for illustrative purposes , a portion of the wall or wheel of the tire is shown as tire t . as shown in fig2 , pump 10 includes an air inlet 100 , an outer housing 101 , a threaded mounting stem 105 , a first one - way valve 110 , a second one - way valve 111 , a first chamber 142 , a first diaphragm 140 , a second chamber 120 , a second diaphragm 130 having an opening 160 , a coupling rod 135 , a sintered insert 125 , a spring 150 , an opening 160 , and a cover 170 having an opening 171 . one - way valves 110 and 111 are configured to provide a flow of air from the exterior of the tire to the interior of the tire . in one embodiment , air inlet 100 is in fluid communication with ambient air of environment 5 , and opening 171 is in fluid communication with volume 4 . a cap ( not shown ) may be present to prevent the ingress of dust , mud , or other contamination from entering pump 10 . first chamber 142 is bounded by housing 101 , first diaphragm 140 , first one - way valve 110 and second one - way valve 111 . second chamber 120 is bounded by housing 101 , first diaphragm 140 , second diaphragm 130 , and coupling rod 135 which connects the first and second diaphragms , and has sintered insert 125 to provided restricted fluid communication between the second chamber and the interior of tire t , and thus allow the pressure within chamber 120 to be approximately the average tire pressure . spring 150 , located between housing 101 and second diaphragm 130 , provides a restoring force for the second diaphragm after a pump stroke . cover 170 provides mechanical protection to diaphragm 130 . threaded mounting stem 105 is used for affixing the assembly inside the tire cavity . stem 105 may pass , for example , through the wheel wall of tire t such that inlet 100 is exposed to the outside ambient air . one - way valves 110 and valve 111 permit ambient air flow into pump 10 . sintered insert 125 permits the very slow equilibration of air pressure between chamber 120 and the tire cavity , permitting the permeation of air through it , with a high resistance to flow . chamber 120 is thus maintained at a pressure equal to the long - term average of the tire cavity pressure . in certain embodiments , the volume of second chamber 120 is larger than the volume of first chamber 142 . first chamber 142 confines a small volume of air between one - way valves 110 and 111 . first diaphragm 140 is connected to second diaphragm 130 through coupling rod 135 , and thus motion of the second diaphragm towards the first diaphragm and the action of one - way valves 110 and 111 compresses air within first chamber 142 and will provide the compressed air into tire t . diaphragm 130 is preferably constructed from a lightweight metal sheet attached to a flexible metal seal around the perimeter and then to housing 101 . fig3 is a schematic of a second embodiment pump 10 as installed outside of a tire cavity . pump 10 of fig3 is generally similar to the pump of fig2 , except as further detailed below . where possible , similar elements are identified with identical reference numerals in the depiction of the embodiments of fig1 , 2 and 3 . pump 10 of fig3 is intended installation on the wheel outside the cavity of tire t , and includes a mechanical connection 106 to a passage leading to the tire cavity , and opening 175 provides pumped air which is injected into the tire . front cover 170 is a mechanical part of housing 101 and is strong enough to withstand the tire pressure . in an alternative embodiment , chamber 120 of fig2 or fig3 may not include insert 125 and is sealed permanently at a predetermined desired average tire pressure . the following is an example of the use of pump 10 to replace air which naturally leaks from a pneumatic tire over time . in general , pump 10 includes two coupled diaphragms , such as diaphragms 130 and 140 , which amplify pressure transients in the tire to pump ambient air into the tire . more specifically , transient pressures resulting from driving over bumps in the road under normal conditions will result in transient pressures which may be used to pump air into the tire . in certain embodiments , chamber 120 is maintained at the average tire pressure by permitting only a very restricted communication of air to the cavity volume through sintered insert 125 , which may be a sintered insert or similar device of microscopic porosity and thus presents a high - impedance path to air flow . insert 125 thus allows the gradual equilibration of air between the tire and chamber 120 over time periods greater than the pressure transients , but less than the time over significant pressure is lost from the tire . the time period for equilibration may thus be on the order of hours or days . diaphragm 130 is in fluid communication with the interior of the tire , and experiences transients in tire pressure . the coupling of the relatively larger diaphragm 130 to the smaller diaphragm 140 amplifies the pressure , resulting in a higher pressure in chamber 142 , which may then be injected in to the tire through one - way valve 111 . once the air passes through one - way valve 111 and diaphragm 130 moves towards the original position , the pressure in chamber 142 drops below atmospheric pressure , one - way valve 111 closes and one - way valve 110 opens , refilling chamber 142 with ambient air . as described herein , pump 10 may be operated from transient pressures in the tire . as a example of the use of pump 10 , assume that each time the vehicle passes over a bump in the road , the tire pressure experiences a transient increase of pressure due to the compression of the rubber , increasing in pressure from a pressure p ( tire ) to a pressure { p ( tire )+ δp } where the transient increase is δp . if the pressure inside of chamber 120 is the average tire pressure p ( tire ), then the pressure difference of δp acting on the area of diaphragm 130 creates a force . the force will displace diaphragm 130 which , through the coupling action coupling rod 135 will displace diaphragm 140 , thus increasing the pressure of air within chamber 142 . the following examples are illustrate designs and uses of pump 10 , and are not meant to limit the scope of the present invention . a typical automobile tire contains approximately 30 liters of air at stp ( standard temperature and atmospheric pressure ), and at a pressure of 30 psig . it is not unreasonable that approximately 3 % of the volume escapes from the tire per month , resulting in a loss of approximately 1 liter of air and 1 psi of tire pressure . larger pumps may be designed for use in larger tires , as are used on trucks and heavy equipment . as a numerical example , if the tire rubber is temporarily displaced inwards by 1 cm over a contact footprint of 30 cm 2 , the tire cavity volume will be decreased by 0 . 3 %, with a resulting instantaneous pressure increase of approximately δp = 0 . 1 psig over a substantial area of diaphragm 130 . if the tire encounters a bump in the road every 100 feet , there will be on the order of 30 pump strokes per mile . in 1000 miles of driving there will be 30 , 000 pump strokes . if each pump stroke injects 30 cubic millimeters of air , this will create a total injection of total 1 liter of air pumped into the tire . pump 10 may be sealed , with only one small hole on the inner tire cavity side , and one on the outer air - inlet side . pump 10 may , for example , be threaded into a hole either inside the tire , or on the outside rim . installation inside the tire cavity would reduce exposure to weather , dirt , mechanical impact and tampering . the assembly could also be manufactured as an integrated unit to be incorporated into the structure of a wheel , communicating with the tire cavity through an air passage . in this way , the assembly could be located at a smaller radius of rotation , leading to less centrifugal force acting on the components . fig4 a - 4d illustrate the use of pump 10 to provide air to a tire resulting from pressure transients , where fig4 a is a rest state for pump 10 , fig4 b shows the compression of air in sealed chamber , fig4 c shows the pumping of the compressed air into the tire , and fig4 d shows an intake of ambient air after pumping . in fig4 a - 4d , the pressure within chamber 130 is the average tire pressure , p ( ave ), where fig4 a illustrates a rest state for pump 10 , fig4 b and 4c illustrate consecutive states during pumping , and fig4 d illustrates the recovery of the pump . the tire pressure p ( tire ) is illustrated as varying from the average tire pressure of p ( ave ) in fig4 a to an increased pressure p ( tire )={ p ( ave )+ δp } in fig4 b and 4c , back to the average pressure in fig4 d . more specifically , in fig4 a , the tire pressure p ( tire ) is at the average tire pressure of p ( ave ), and one - way valves 110 and 111 are closed . in fig4 b , a pressure transient in the tire to p ( tire )={ p ( ave )+ δp } results in a pressure differential of δp acting on diaphragm 130 . the resulting displacement of diaphragm 130 is coupled to diaphragm 140 through coupling rod 135 . one - way valves 110 and 111 remain closed , and the pressure within chamber 142 increases . in fig4 c , diaphragm 130 is displaced further . eventually , the pressure within chamber 142 increases from atmospheric pressure to a pressure greater than p ( tire )={ p ( ave )+ δp }. one - way valve 111 then opens , as illustrated in fig4 c , and air is pumped into the tire . in fig4 d , the tire pressure has returned to p ( tire )= p ( ave ). spring 150 forces diaphragm 130 back to the position shown in fig4 a . one - way valve 111 closes and , when the pressure within chamber 142 drops below ambient pressure , one - way valve 110 opens , drawing in ambient air . when the next pressure transient occurs in the tire , the cycle then repeats from the configuration shown in fig4 a . pump 10 , or a device having equivalent functionality , enable the use of transient pressure impulses generated by the passage of the tire over a naturally - occurring road bump , to inject a small volume of outside air into the tire cavity each time the wheel passes over a bump . although each injection amount is small , this action repeated over many thousands of impulses will inject sufficient air into the tire to overcome gradual loss of pressure . a separate device ( not shown ) essentially of the form of a pressure - regulating tire inflation valve stem , may release excess pressure once the desired working pressure has been achieved . in this way , considerations of specific pressure settings do not have to be incorporated into the design of the automatic inflator . reference throughout this specification to “ certain embodiments ,” “ one embodiment ” or “ an embodiment ” means that a particular feature , structure or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention . thus , appearances of the phrases “ in one embodiment ” or “ in an embodiment ” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment . furthermore , the particular features , structures or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner , as would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art from this disclosure , in one or more embodiments . similarly , it should be appreciated that in the above description of exemplary embodiments of the invention , various features of the invention are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment , figure , or description thereof for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure and aiding in the understanding of one or more of the various inventive aspects . this method of disclosure , however , is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed invention requires more features than are expressly recited in each claim . rather , as the following claims reflect , inventive aspects lie in less than all features of a single foregoing disclosed embodiment . thus , the claims following the detailed description are hereby expressly incorporated into this detailed description , with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment of this invention . thus , while there has been described what is believed to be the preferred embodiments of the invention , those skilled in the art will recognize that other and further modifications may be made thereto without departing from the spirit of the invention , and it is intended to claim all such changes and modifications as fall within the scope of the invention . for example , any formulas given above are merely representative of procedures that may be used . functionality may be added or deleted from the block diagrams and operations may be interchanged among functional blocks . steps may be added or deleted to methods described within the scope of the present invention .
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while the present invention retains utility within a wide variety of photographic devices , such as video cameras for example , and may be embodied in several different forms , it is advantageously employed in connection with an electronic still camera . though this is the form of the preferred embodiment and will be described as such , this embodiment should be considered illustrative and not restrictive . as previously discussed , electronic imaging cameras conventionally record color images by using an image sensing array comprising a predetermined number of discrete image sensing elements or pixels arranged in a two - dimensional array in which the image sensing elements respond to incident illumination to provide an electronic information signal corresponding to the intensity of the incident illumination . such image sensing arrays may be charge coupled devices (&# 34 ; ccd &# 34 ;) of the frame transfer type . it is well known to sense color images using a single two - dimensional ccd array by filtering the illumination incident to the image sensing array so that different groups of the image sensing elements arranged in well - known patterns across the image sensing array receive different wavelengths for colored illumination . thus , each color of illumination is sampled by each group of image sensing elements , and thereafter interpolated to provide color values corresponding to the other groups of image sensing elements . the full color image is therefore estimated or interpolated between the different groups of image sensing elements or pixels to fill in all colors for each image sensing element or pixel . conventional types of interpolation provide images with objectionable aliasing artifacts such as color fringes near sharp edges . an example of how a sharp edge in a sample to be recorded can create color fringes , when the image of the subject is reconstructed using conventional interpolation methods , will be discussed herein . as previously described , a typical ccd arrangement includes color filter stripes thereon such that individual stripes of pixels measure an intensity of light for only a single color . fig1 a shows a typical arrangement of a ccd using color stripes , where individual pixels are marked by r , g , or b representing red , green , and blue colors . numerical designations associated with the color , i . e ., r 1 , g 1 , and b 1 , together are referred to a triplet . in order to illustrate the invention , an example is shown for each step . the example is of an image having a sharp contrast such as a sharp white - to - black transition . the example begins in fig1 b where a light intensity level is shown graphically for a white - to - black transition in an image . keys to fig1 b is as follows : the solid line represents the edge transition in the original continuous image of the scene before sampling , the circle represents an original red sample , the triangle represents an original green sample , and the square represents an original blue sample . it can be seen from the illustration that for the original continuous image the falloff during the transition is substantially vertical . this indicates a sharp transition . a slope in the falloff would be indicative of a more gradual , or less sharp , transition . fig2 a again shows a pixel layout of the pixels of 1a , but now the pixels have gone through the step of interpolation . in the preferred embodiment , this is a linear interpolation , as will be later hereinafter described . the convention used is that a capital letter represents original raw data and a lower case represents interpolated data . therefore , the colors interpolated between r 1 and r 2 are shown as r 1 &# 39 ; and r 1 &# 34 ;. using linear interpolation , r 1 &# 39 ; contains 2 / 3of the intensity of r 1 , and 1 / 3of the intensity of r 2 . likewise , r 1 &# 34 ; contains 1 / 3the intensity of r 1 and 2 / 3the intensity of r 2 . by linearly interpolating values throughout for red , green , and blue , the colors can be broken into three color planes such that there now exists triplets for each individual pixel location , where previously there only existed raw data in one color for each location . continuing the example , fig2 b shows the step of linear interpolation on the white - to - black transition shown in fig1 b . as shown in fig1 b , the lines indicate paths of the linear interpolation where the circles , triangles , and squares represent original red , green , and blue samples and the x &# 39 ; s represent interpolated values . fig2 b illustrates how the interpolation tends to blur the sharp transition previously seen in the image by interpolating where the dashed line represents red , the dotted line represents green , and the solid line represents blue . the slope of the line is indicative of a less sharp transition , thus blurring the image . fig2 b also illustrates how the interpolation tends to create color fringe artifacts . in the original white - to - black transition the red , green , and blue intensity transitioned at the same spatial location while it can be seen in fig2 b that the red signal after interpolation initiates transition before the green which initiates transition before the blue . an image reconstructed from the data represented in fig2 b would show a pronounced white - to - cyan - to - purple - to - blue - to - black color fringe . a next step is to create two difference signals at each location . the color fringe artifact at a white - to - black transition in the scene produced by interpolation within color planes would appear as a sudden rise in a color difference signal followed by a corresponding sudden fall or as a sudden fall followed by a sudden rise . it is this rapid increase and decrease in the difference between the colors which is a characteristic of objectionable color fringing , and is not simply a sudden rise in the difference between colors , which is indicative of a change from one color to a different color . thus , it is unlikely that a real scene would result in the creation of such a color spike , and it is not desirable to create such a color spike as a result of a method of interpolation chosen . fig3 illustrates the aforementioned color spikes in the color difference signals , where in the preferred embodiment , the difference signals are performed by subtracting the intensity of green from the intensity of red and subtracting the intensity of green from the intensity of blue , that is r - g and b - g . one skilled in the art will realize that the actual choice of colors that determine the difference signals is somewhat arbitrary . consistency after the choice is made is of primary importance . therefore , other color difference signals can be chosen without detriment to the invention . fig3 ( i ) graphically illustrates the results of the difference signal for r - g , for the signal shown in fig2 b . fig3 ( iii ) graphically illustrates b - g . various methods can now be employed to remove the color aberration . in the preferred embodiment , a median filter is employed , such as that previously described and incorporated herein by reference . simply stated , the median filter takes a series of pixels , such as those shown in fig3 ( ii ), and replaces the pixel value at the center of the filter region with the median value of all the pixels within the region . though various numbers of pixels can be used , in the preferred embodiment , the median filter uses nine pixels and returns the median value of the nine pixels . therefore , as the filter is worked horizontally across the signal , it can be seen that unless the spike is longer than one half the filter length , the spike in the signal will be essentially eliminated . fig4 illustrates the results of passing the median filter across the difference signals , where 4 ( i ) corresponds to the r - g difference signal shown in 3 ( i ), and 4 ( ii ) corresponds to the b - g difference signal shown in 3 ( iii ), where these signals can now be referred to as ( r - g )&# 39 ; and ( b - g )&# 39 ;, respectively . the differences are now flat and the reconstructed colors will now remain substantially constant with respect to each other before , during and after the color transition . reference is again made to fig1 b as an example of this . a next step is shown in fig5 where the pixels are reconstructed from original raw rgb data and filtered ( r - g )&# 39 ; and ( b - g )&# 39 ; difference signals . the colors are restored using the following relationships : these relationships illustrate the properties of preserving the original sampled values and extracting detail at every pixel regardless of its original color . the detail extracting property is accomplished by removing the sudden spikes in the color difference signals which effectively produce local color samenesses , so in regions of sharp edge transitions , when the original sampled pixels values change in response to edge transitions , the reconstructed missing color values are made to follow the original values . this property injects the detail information into all three channels . fig5 illustrates the reconstruction , where now instead of having diagonal lines showing the transition between colors , illustrating loss of sharpness and color fringing , now the circle representing red , the triangle representing green , and the square representing blue at the transition points are located in a substantially identical location such that the sharpness is retained and color fringes are avoided . in order to display the resulting image on most commercially available cathode ray tubes ( crt ) and most commercially available printers , a square pixel must now be attained . since some ccd &# 39 ; s , and specifically that of the preferred embodiment , has rectangular pixels , generally having a 2 : 1 aspect ratio , a way of solving this problem is to average two neighboring pixels , r 1 and r 1 &# 39 ;, for example , to form a single square pixel at that location . fig6 a shows pixels values from an rgb striped sensor with 2 : 1 aspect ratio rectangular pixels after reconstruction from original sampled color values and median filtered color difference signals . fig6 b shows pixel values on a square grid after averaging neighboring values . this would take an image resolution that has one million pixels , for example , and create an image that is displayable to a user having 500 , 000 three color pixels . an alternative method of creating square pixels is optionally used in the preferred embodiment . rather than averaging horizontally , the pixels are interpolated vertically , as is shown in fig6 c . in fig6 c ( i ), an original line of rgb data is shown , and in fig6 c ( iii ) a second line of rgb data is shown , separated by fig6 c ( ii ) which is an interpolated line of rgb data . the interpolation between these lines can be as simple as nearest neighbor interpolation , which , in essence , duplicates a previous line to create a new line . the preferred methods include linear interpolation , bi - cubic convolution interpolation , or frequency domain interpolation , such as fourier , dct , wavelet , et cetera . the interpolated line ( ii ) creates additional pixels available for display . thus , in the one million pixel example , two million three - color pixels would now be available . that is , if the color reconstructed image was 1600 × 600 × 3 where the three represents the three color planes , interpolation would result in 1600 × 1200 × 3 pixels being available . in contrast to the prior art method of beginning and ending with square pixels , the method of the invention does not , per se , result in square pixels . the pixel geometry has actually not changed . the method works since output devices do not actually know the geometry of the pixels coming into the device , but instead simply displays according to an electronic signal . therefore , rectangular pixels are displayed either separated by an interpolated line which carries color information that makes the transition between the rectangular pixels or effectively formed into squares by averaging . this serves to eliminate the distortion that would otherwise result and simulates having a square pixel geometry . fig7 illustrates a characterization of the relative frequency response of the human visual system at a normal print viewing distance . this characterization has been made by psychovisual studies of subjects responses to periodic lightness gratings at various frequencies of cycles per degree of visual subtense . for use in pixel geometry optimization of a sensor for an electronic still camera , the frequencies are expressed as cycles per millimeter given a normal twelve inch print viewing distance . a characterization of the relative frequency response of the human visual system in cycles per degree of visual subtense is given by the following equation : the relationship between cycles per degree of visual subtense and cycles per millimeter given a particular viewing distance d in inches , is given by : it is generally true that the spatial reproduction of the image of a scene captured by an electronic still camera involves magnification . the sensors are generally quite small relative to crt displays or print renderings of the images captured by electronic still cameras . characterization of the frequency response of the elements of such a system for calculation of a sharpness figure of merit which includes the response of the human visual system necessarily includes a nominal magnification factor . fig8 shows the frequency responses in print referred cycles per millimeter of a representative lens , pixel , and antialiasing filter given a representative magnification factor of ten . the representative frequency responses are given by the following equations : ## equ1 ## where l ( f ) is the lens frequency response in cycles per millimeter f , given a magnification m , and a characteristic blur distance b , at the sensor plane . p ( f ) is the pixel response given m and sensor pixel width p . and , aa ( f ) is the anti - aliasing response for m and a two spot separation distance aa at the sensor plane . in the representative example of fig8 ; m = 10 , b = 0 . 01 mm ., p = 0 . 006 mm ., and aa = 0 . 009 mm . in the preferred embodiment , the sensor is fabricated with rectangular pixels of aspect ratio 2 : 1 ( height : width ) with striped color filters oriented along the major axis of the pixels . this design , optimized for maximal and balanced sharpness with reduced color artifacts , allows for convenient dual resolution modes . as previously described , the process of forming pixel values suitable for display on a device with a square raster involves either reducing the number of pixel values by a factor of two in the direction normal to the major axis of the rectangular pixels , hereinafter referred to as the horizontal direction , or alternatively increasing the number of pixel values by a factor of two in the direction along the direction of the major axis of the pixels hereinafter referred to as the vertical direction . while those skilled in the art will recognize that there are many techniques for resampling including convolution based and frequency based techniques , for illustrative purposes pairwise neighbor averaging horizontally and pairwise linear interpolation vertically are given as examples . furthermore , those skilled in the art will recognize that aspect ratios other than 2 : 1 and corresponding resampling factors other than 2 or one half can be employed without departing from the spirit of the invention . fig9 shows the frequency responses of horizontal averaging and vertical interpolation for representative geometries of m = 10 , p = 0 . 006 mm . for horizontal averaging , and p = 0 . 012 mm . for vertical interpolation . the representative frequency responses are given by the following equations : where av ( f ), the horizontal averaging frequency response , is the fourier transform of two delta functions scaled to 0 . 5 area spaced one pixel apart in the sensor plane . this models the frequency response of the pairwise averaging process . the model of linear interpolation for a fixed upsampling factor of two is given by one half of the transform of a unit delta function centered at the origin since every other line of data is untouched , plus one half of the transform of a pair of scaled delta functions spaced one pixel apart at the sensor plane since each interpolated line is formed from equal parts of the neighboring lines . the associated frequency response for this representative interpolation is i ( f ). analysis of the frequency responses of the component parts of an electronic still camera allows invocation of the convenient property of characterization of a system by cascading the responses of the components frequency by frequency . that is , the net system response at a single frequency is given by multiplying the responses of the components each with the others at that frequency . this process is repeated for each frequency of interest . to evaluate sharpness , the characteristics of the human visual system must be considered . figures of sharpness merit for the frequency response of imaging systems are well known in the art . for instance , extensive work has been published on cmt acutance , amt acutance , and sqf . a sharpness figure of merit is given below which is used in the representative example of fig1 . ## equ2 ## where r ( f ) is the net system response , and f is in print refereed cycles per millimeter . the limits of integration in the figure of merit span the range of greatest visual sensitivity as shown in fig7 . fig1 shows the relationship between sharpness s in the horizontal and vertical directions for both resolution cases , and pixel geometry . it can be seen in fig1 , that in the preferred embodiment of rgb striped color filters with two spot anti - aliasing , median filter color recovery and dual resolution capability the sharpness in the horizontal and vertical directions is most closely balanced with rectangular pixels . furthermore , it can be seen that balance is struck in the case of horizontal averaging at an aspect ratio slightly greater than 2 : 1 , and in the case of vertical interpolation , at an aspect ratio slightly less than 2 : 1 . in the preferred embodiment the aspect ratio of the sensor pixels is 2 : 1 such that balance is substantially achieved in each resolution mode . the invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof . the present embodiments are , therefore , to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive , the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description , and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein .
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a group of keyless evidence lockers stacked in an array or bank 10 is shown in fig1 and 2 . in one representative embodiment , the four evidence lockers 12 are stacked randomly ; although , the invention is not limited to such an arrangement . the evidence lockers 12 share a frame 14 that includes a top panel 16 , a base panel 18 , and a pair of side panels 20 and 22 . the frame members may be fastened together in a conventional manner , such as welding , or formed as an integrated unit in a conventional manner . each evidence locker 12 defines a storage cell 24 having a front opening 26 and a rear opening 28 . the openings 26 , 28 are defined by the aforementioned side panels 20 , 22 and a cell lower panel 30 and a cell upper panel 32 . the cell lower panel 30 effectively defines the cell upper panel for the below adjacent evidence locker 12 . similarly , the cell upper panel effectively defines the cell lower panel for the above adjacent evidence locker 12 . the front opening 26 may be closed by a door 34 connected to side panel 22 using hinges 36 . in the illustrated example , the doors 34 of each evidence locker 12 are pulled open about side panel 20 or 22 depending on what side of the bank the door 34 is located . the rear opening 28 is closed by a rear door 38 that in the illustrated embodiment is coupled to the side panel 22 , but is understood that the rear door 38 could be connected to the opposite side panel 20 . each front door 34 has a stiffener bracket 40 that includes two slots 42 ( a ), 42 ( b ) for locking points ( not shown ) of a lock mechanism 44 to engage when the door 34 is locked . fig3 through 5 show a keyless , multipoint locking mechanism 44 according to one embodiment of the invention . the locking mechanism 44 has a housing 46 that is integrated into the locker center divider 21 or may also be integrated into a lock mount bracket 23 when a center divider is not provided or when the door locks adjacent one of the side panels . an inner slide 48 is connected to the housing 46 and allowed to slide vertically within the interior of the housing 46 . the housing 46 also has an outer frame member 50 through which a pushbutton 52 extends . the pushbutton 52 is associated with an actuator member 54 that extends into a keyhole shaped opening 55 in the inner slide 48 . opening 55 includes a slot portion 55 ( a ) and a circular portion 55 ( b ). the actuator member 54 has a larger diameter portion 56 and a smaller diameter portion 58 . the smaller diameter portion 58 is concentric with the larger diameter portion 56 and therefore effectively forms a ring . the larger diameter portion 56 of the actuator member 54 provides a seat for the boundary of the keyhole shaped opening 55 formed in the inner slide 48 when the inner slide 48 is in a retracted position and the smaller diameter portion 58 , or ring , provides a seat for the boundary of the keyhole shaped opening 55 when the inner slide 48 is in an extended position , as will be described . a spring latch 60 interconnects the pushbutton 52 with the actuator member 54 . the spring latch 60 includes a compression spring 62 . when the inner slide 48 is in a retracted position , the compression spring 62 is extended . more particularly , the spring latch 60 includes a circlip 63 that is coupled to the pushbutton 52 and therefore linked with the actuator member 54 . when the pushbutton 52 is depressed , the spring 62 is compressed between the circlip 63 and the plate 64 . the inner slide 48 and pushbutton 52 are both biased towards the extended position . when the pushbutton is depressed it causes the smaller diameter portion 58 of the actuator member 54 to enter into the keyhole shaped opening 55 of the inner slide 48 , which in turn allows the inner slide 48 to move to its extended position . the larger diameter portion 56 of actuator member 54 is bigger than the smaller portion of the keyhole shaped slot 55 ( a ) which in turn keeps the push button depressed . when the inner slide 48 is forced back to its retracted position the larger diameter portion 56 lines up with the circular portion 55 ( b ) of the keyhole shaped opening 55 allowing pushbutton 52 to return to its extended position the locking mechanism 44 also includes a pair of locking points , which in the illustrated embodiment include a pair of locking members in the form of locking bolts 66 and 68 . locking bolt 66 is mounted on a guide pin 70 and is retained by a pair of frame members 72 and 74 in a manner that allows the locking bolt 66 to slide linearly . similarly , locking bolt 68 is mounted on a guide pin 76 and retained by the pair of frame members 72 , 74 in a manner that allows the locking bolt 68 to slide linearly . each locking bolt 66 , 68 has a guide channel 78 , 80 , respectively , that defines a path along which the respective guide pins 70 , 76 travel . the locking bolts 66 , 68 are biased toward an extended position via an extension spring 82 that urges the inner slide 48 toward the extended or locked position . the extension spring 82 is interconnected between the housing 46 and the inner slide 48 . when the inner slide 48 is in the retracted position , the extension spring 82 is extended . likewise , movement of the inner slide 48 to the extended position compresses the extension spring 82 , which biases the inner slide 48 toward the extended position . a rear release cam assembly 84 is used to place the inner slide 48 in the retracted position , which also results in the extension of the pushbutton 52 and the retraction of the locking bolts 66 , 68 . the cam assembly 84 includes a cam member 86 that is coupled to the inner slide 48 by a clevis pin 88 . the clevis pin 88 extends through a compression spring 90 that is sandwiched between the inside surface of the front frame member 50 and the cam member 86 . a lever arm 92 is pinned to the cam member 86 and is used to retract the inner slide 48 and extend pushbutton 52 . the lever arm 92 is of sufficient length to extend to the rear opening 28 of the storage cell 24 . thus , a property clerk can move the locking mechanism 44 to its unlocked position by pulling on arm 92 to rotate the cam member 86 upward , which resets the door 34 to its unlocked state . operation of the locking mechanism 44 will now be described in a series of steps . for purposes of description , the steps will begin with opening of the evidence locker 12 to place evidence therein and conclude with the unlocking of the evidence locker 12 by a property clerk without use of a key . first , an officer , court official , or other authorized evidence handler chooses an empty , unlocked evidence locker 12 . the locking mechanism 44 is in an unlocked position characterized by the pushbutton 52 being an extended position and the locking bolts 66 and 68 being in retracted positions . the positions of the pushbutton 52 and the bolts 66 , 68 is a function of the position of the inner slide 48 being forced into a retracted position by cam member 86 . once the evidence is placed into the storage cell 24 of the evidence locker , the door 34 is closed and the pushbutton 52 is depressed to lock the door 34 to the locker frame 14 . when the pushbutton 52 is depressed , the actuator member 54 moves linearly away from the front frame member 50 . the larger diameter portion 56 of the actuator member 54 moves through the opening in the inner slide 48 until the boundary of the opening seats in the ring or smaller diameter portion 58 of the actuator member . the change in diameter of the actuator member 54 allows the bias of spring 82 to force the inner slide 48 from a retracted position to an extended position . in this regard , the guide pins 70 , 76 , which are connected to the inner slide 48 , effectively move closer to the actuator member 54 by a distance equal to the distance between the center of the circular diameter portion 55 ( b ) of the keyhole shaped opening 55 and the center of the slot portion 55 ( a ) of the keyhole shaped opening 55 . this movement of the guide pins 70 , 76 allows the bolts 66 , 68 to move transversely with the movement of the inner slide 48 , by operation of movement of the guide pins 70 , 76 along guide channels 78 , 80 , respectively . this transverse movement of the locking bolts 66 , 68 forces the locking bolts 66 , 68 into engagement with corresponding slots in the stiffener bracket 40 on the door 34 thereby locking the door 34 closed . moreover , since the pushbutton 52 is retracted , further depressing of the pushbutton 52 has no impact on the locking mechanism 44 . in other words , the locking mechanism 44 cannot be unlocked by depressing pushbutton 52 . the front door 34 can only be unlocked by a property office or similar authorized personnel using the lever arm 92 that is accessible only through the rear opening 28 , as described above . the lever arm 92 effectively resets the locking mechanism 44 by retracting the locking bolts 66 , 68 and extending the pushbutton 52 by moving the inner slide 48 from its extended position to its retracted position . it should be noted that the terms “ extended ” and “ retracted ” relative to the position of the inner slide 48 correspond to the position of the locking bolts 66 , 68 rather than the position of the inner slide 48 . in this regard , the “ retracted ” position of the inner slide 48 is , in effect , the first or unlocked position and the “ extended ” position of the inner slide 48 is , in effect , the second or locked position . one skilled in the art will appreciate that the locking bolts 66 , 68 extend into dedicated slots 42 ( a ), 42 ( b ) in the stiffener bracket 40 on the door 34 and that the lock mechanism is securely mounted to the locker frame 14 . the locking bolts 66 , 68 thus prevent the door 34 from being pulled away from the locker frame 14 . the locker frame has an integral stop 93 that holds the door 34 flush with the face of the cabinet and it keeps the door 34 being pushed into the frame . it will be appreciated that the door 34 has a handle 95 that can be used as a door pull for grasping the door 34 and pulling it open . fig6 through 8 show a keyed locking mechanism 100 according to an alternate embodiment of the invention . the keyed locking mechanism is similar to the locking mechanism 44 described above , but requires a key for unlocking rather than a rear panel accessible lever arm as in the embodiment of fig3 through 5 . the locking mechanism 100 has a housing 102 that includes a front frame member 104 . the front frame member includes a tube lock 106 and an opening 108 that can house a tube lock for an alternate handed lock . openings 106 , 108 correspond to the same openings 94 , 96 of the front frame member 50 of the previously described keyless locking mechanism 44 . thus , for locking mechanism 100 , one of the openings is used as a keyhole 106 and the other is used for the alternate handed lock . in this regard , the same housing can be used for both keyless and keyed embodiments . the housing 102 is designed to be integrated into a center divider or other locker frame member . an inner slide 112 is connected to the housing 102 and allowed to slide vertically within the interior of the housing 102 . a pushbutton 114 extends through an opening 115 in the front frame member 104 centrally between the keyhole 106 and extra 103 . the pushbutton 114 is associated with an actuator member 116 that extends into an opening 117 in the inner slide 112 . the actuator member 116 has a larger diameter portion 118 and a smaller diameter portion 120 . the smaller diameter portion 120 is concentric with the larger diameter portion 118 and therefore effectively forms a ring . the larger diameter portion of the actuator member 116 provides a seat for the boundary of the opening 117 formed in the inner slide 112 when the inner slide 112 is in a retracted position and the smaller diameter portion of the actuator member 116 , or ring , provides a seat for the boundary of the opening 117 when the inner slide 112 is in an extended position , as will be described . a spring latch 122 interconnects the pushbutton 114 with the actuator member 116 . the spring latch 122 includes a compression spring 124 . when the inner slide 112 is in a retracted position , the compression spring 124 is extended . more particularly , the spring latch 122 includes a circlip 125 that is coupled to the pushbutton 114 . when the pushbutton 114 is depressed , the spring 124 is compressed between the circlip 125 and plate 126 . the inner slide 112 and the pushbutton 114 are both biased towards the extended position . when the pushbutton is depressed it causes the smaller diameter portion of the actuator member 116 to enter into the keyhole shaped opening of the inner slide 112 , which allows the inner slide 112 to move to its extended position . the larger diameter portion of the actuator member 116 keeps the pushbutton in the depressed position . when the inner slide 112 is forced back to its retracted position , the larger diameter portion of the actuator member 116 lines up with the larger portion of the opening 117 thereby allowing the pushbutton 114 to return to its extended position . the locking mechanism 100 also includes a pair of locking points , which in the illustrated embodiment include a pair of locking members or bolts 128 and 130 . locking bolt 128 is mounted on a guide pin 132 and is retained by a pair of frame members 134 and 136 in a manner that allows the bolt 128 to slide linearly . similarly , locking bolt 130 is mounted on a guide pin 138 and retained by the pair of frame members 140 , 142 in a manner that allows that bolt 130 to slide linearly . each locking bolt 128 , 130 has a guide channel 144 , 146 , respectively , that defines a path along which the respective guide pins 132 , 138 travel . the locking bolts 128 , 130 are biased toward an extended position when the inner slide 112 is in the extended or locked position by operation of an extension spring 148 . the extension spring 148 is interconnected between the housing 102 and the inner slide 112 , and is compressed when the inner slide 112 is in the extended position so as to bias the inner slide 112 toward the extended position . the keylock assembly 110 includes a lock tube 150 that houses a barrel 152 that is linked with a cam assembly 154 . when the appropriate key is inserted into the barrel 152 and rotated , the cam member assembly 154 returns the inner slide 112 to its unlocked position which retracts the bolts 128 , 130 and extends the pushbutton 114 . in this regard , a key inserted into barrel 152 and rotated imparts functionality similar to the lever arm described above . it will be appreciated that the locking bolts described herein may take the form of flanges , pins , or other shaped locking points and , as such , the present invention is not limited to a particular shape or geometry for the locking bolts . the present invention has been described with respect to an evidence locker but it is understood that the invention may also be applicable with other types of lockable storage compartments or containers . additionally , while keyless and keyed evidence lockers have been described and shown , it is understood that the invention is also applicable with lockers and the like that may be unlocked electronically using a keypad , key - fob , or other type of electronic device . various alternatives and embodiments are contemplated as being within the scope of the following claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter regarded as the invention .
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